


Danganronpa Reimagined: The Return to Hope's Peak Academy

by TheAPPstore



Series: Danganronpa Reimagined [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Killing School Life (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 121,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28725840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAPPstore/pseuds/TheAPPstore
Summary: A re-imagined version of the killing game that started it all. 16 students of Hope's Peak Academy have found themselves trapped within the school, with the only way out being killing someone and getting away with it.Everyone once believed that nobody could kill each other to escape. And yet, the number of bodies start to pile on, and their conditions worsen as the killing game continues. To make matters worse, the survivors soon discover that things aren't quite what they seem.Featuring two additional characters, altered victims, new executions, and some different survivors, this story will be a take on a story that has been retold many times. So, are you ready to experience despair all over again?
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Enoshima Junko/Matsuda Yasuke, Fukawa Touko & Togami Byakuya, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Maizono Sayaka/Naegi Makoto
Series: Danganronpa Reimagined [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105847
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	1. Prologue Part 1: The Return to Hope's Peak Academy

The massive high school towers over the surrounding buildings, even in this urban area. It stands out among the rest of the buildings, having a grandiose appearance in contrast to the boring office buildings. It would be considered out out place in most cities if it weren't for one thing: this school wasn't just any ordinary school. This school is Hope's Peak Academy.

Widely considered to be the most prestigious school in Japan (and perhaps the entire world), Hope's Peak Academy is responsible for producing some of the most talented people the world has ever seen. Hundreds of students have graduated from this school during its decades of existence. This school gathers the world's most talented people into one place and prepares them for the real world. It is a place where talent is cultivated and grown into something greater. It's no wonder people say that "Hope's Peak" is a fitting name for the school.

Hope's Peak Academy has gathered students with all sorts of talents. From sports to arts to hobbies to whatever, if a student has talent in some area then the school scouts them out to invite them. When people say that Hope's Peak searches for every talent, they really mean it. It doesn't matter how niche the talent is; as long as someone is talented, Hope's Peak will send invitations.

Not every student that comes into Hope's Peak Academy is highly talented, though. Every year in recent times, Hope's Peak holds a lottery to determine which ordinary student will be joining their school. That student becomes the Ultimate Lucky Student. There were many debates on if luck can be considered a talent. Supporters say that luck is a talent that can be measured, while detractors say the opposite. Regardless of opinion, the lottery helped to made the school a bit more accessible to the average student. Previously, students needed to be highly talented in something in order to have a chance of being invited, which was seen as impossible for many students. Now, with the Ultimate Lucky Student Lottery, students can still get in even if they don't have a talent.

The latest winner of the lottery was Makoto Naegi. Born into an ordinary family, Makoto doesn't consider himself to have any notable traits. He's pretty average at everything...except for sports. His performance is below average on that field. If you asked him what his favorites were, he will likely say whatever is popular at the time. Even among average people, he would consider himself to be the most average, which makes little mathematical sense (don't point that out to him).

But it's hard to considered yourself average when you've just won a lottery. When he heard the news that he won the lottery and was invited into Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto initially declined. Even though most people dream of getting into Hope's Peak, he felt that the school was too good for him to attend. He would rather attend a school that's more appropriate for him, such as his local high school that he already attends. His family disagreed with him, though. It is said that Hope's Peak guarantees success to whoever graduates from it. If there's anything his parents want from him when he grows up, it's to have a successful life. Makoto attempted to protest against his parents, but his parents won in the end. They soon sent Makoto out to Hope's Peak Academy.

Makoto couldn't help but feel like he doesn't belong in Hope's Peak Academy. After all, he's just an ordinary student living among the highly talented. It's easy to develop an inferiority complex in this situation, and Makoto developed one. He felt like a cat who wandered into a pride of lions, or a dog who wandered into a pack of wolves. Despite the uncomfortable feeling, Makoto moved on and entered the Hope's Peak Academy building.

As soon as he stepped in, however, he suddenly felt ill. The world began to spin around him. Everything in front of his eyes became a blur, and then complete darkness. And then, he blacked out.

* * *

"Ugh..."

Makoto lifted his head from a desk. He had a strange feeling in his head. He then snapped himself to alertness.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Makoto scanned the room he's in with his olive green eyes. It looked like he's in a classroom. It's eerily empty. In front of him is an advanced monitor and a teacher's desk. In addition to that, there is a security camera pointing at him as well as a small monitor. Those things looked unusual. Perhaps the most unusual thing about this room is the metal plates that cover where the windows should be. He wondered why those things are there. As he scanned the room, he checked to see if his own clothing was still on him. He still has his forest green hoodie on, as well as his black uniform for his former high school. It feels so strange. Everything about this room feels familiar, yet off at the same time. He wondered why that's the-

"Are you...Makoto Naegi?"

Makoto jumped when he heard his name being called. He wondered who said it. He spoke out in search of that person.

"Who's that?"

"I'm here."

The voice is coming from behind him. Makoto has a...strange feeling about this. He grew nervous about turning around. He gulped as he looked at what's behind him. He turned around and found...a beautiful girl with long blue hair and ocean blue eyes and-

Makoto didn't process the rest of the girl's features, as he immediately who he's looking at. He let out a shriek as he leaned back on his chair and fell on the floor. The girl gasped as he fell. She stood up from her seat and walked up to Makoto to check up on him.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Makoto groaned as his vision began to clear. He looked up and saw more of the girl's features. He saw that the girl wore a sky blue hoodie, underneath which is her white school uniform. She also wears a plaid blue skirt, long dark blue socks, and Mary Jane shoes.

Makoto rubbed the back of his head, brushing his spiky, brown hair in the process. The big spike of hair at the top of his head looked like it had wilted. "Ow..." he groaned.

The girl extended her hand out to Makoto. "Here, take my hand," she said.

Makoto was shocked when the girl offered her hand. "What?" he asked.

"I'll help you back up," the girl said.

Makoto wasn't sure if he should trust this girl. After all, he just found himself in a strange situation, and this girl is the first person he met. For some reason, she knows his name. He wondered if he should be worried. Still, he grabbed the girl's hand, and she lifted him back up on his red shoes.

"Thanks," Makoto said. "But...I have a question."

"What's your question?" the girl asked.

"How did you know that my name is Makoto Naegi?"

**Makoto Naegi - Ultimate Lucky Student**

The girl blushed upon being asked that question. She's thinking about her response for a moment. "Um..." she began. She then looked straight at Makoto, which caused him to blush as well. "What about you, Naegi? Don't you remember me as well?"

Makoto was flustered for a moment, but he tried his best to remember the girl's name. She looked so familiar to him, to remembering her name shouldn't be that hard. "A-Alright," he said. "So...if I remember correctly, you're Sayaka Maizono?"

Sayaka smiled upon hearing her name. "Yep, that's right," she said. "I'm Sayaka Maziono. It's so nice to meet you."

**Sayaka Maizono - Ultimate Idol**

Ah. Sayaka Maizono. Many boys at the time wished to have her as a girlfriend. Why wouldn't they? She's the top idol in the world and the leader of her own idol group. Makoto remembered her fondly. His sister was a huge fan of Sayaka. They were frequent attendants of her concerts. Not only that, but Makoto used to attend the same school as Sayaka. It would be reasonable to remember her name, but it's not reasonable for her to remember his name. Makoto did like Sayaka, but he wasn't attracted to her. He doesn't remember doing anything with her as far as he knows.

Makoto brought back a thought that's been bothering him since Sayaka called his name. "So...Maizono, how did you know my name?" he asked.

"Huh? How did I know?" Sayaka replied. She thought about it for a moment. "Well Naegi, you may have an ordinary first name, but your family name, it's something special."

Special? Did an idol really called him special? Makoto sulked for a moment. As far as he knows, he's an ordinary person. There's nothing special about him at all.

"What do you mean you're not special?" Sayaka asked. "Of course you're special! You're in Hope's Peak Academy!"

"Huh?!" Makoto reacted. "How did-? I wasn't saying anything, did I?"

"Nope, you were silent," Sayaka replied.

"Then...how did that happen?" Makoto asked.

"I'm psychic," Sayaka replied bluntly.

Makoto started at Sayaka for a moment. "What?" he reacted.

Sayaka smiled as she let out a giggle. "Just kidding!" she said. "It's just my intuition."

Makoto let out a sigh. He couldn't help but be mesmerized at Sayaka. She was so charming and her smile was bright and warm. Her smile was so warm, it almost looked like she's a doll.

"I'm not a doll!" Sayaka said. "I'm very much alive!"

"Again?!" Makoto reacted. "Did I say that out loud? Or was I muttering my own thoughts?"

"Like I said, I'm psychic," Sayaka replied.

Makoto was silent for a moment.

Sayaka then smiled and giggled again. "I'm just kidding!" she said. "It's still my intuition."

Makoto felt like he had enough of this joke. He decided that it's time to change the subject. "Alright, I think that's enough for now," he said. He then looked around the classroom. "For now...where are we? You did say that this is Hope's Peak Academy, right? Is this what Hope's Peak looks like?"

Sayaka pondered for a moment as she looked around the room. Like Makoto, she found it strange that there's a security camera in the room as well as a monitor. There's also the metal plates that was where the windows are supposed to be. She can't help but feel that something's...off about this place. Looking at the teacher's desk, she found a small piece of paper. She picked it up. "Hey, Makoto? Could you come here for a moment?" she said. "I found something. You should take a look."

Makoto turned around and looked at Sayaka with a confused look. "Did you just call me Makoto?" he asked. "We just met."

Sayaka realized that she made a small mistake. She shouldn't have called Makoto by his first name when they barely knew each other. "Oh, sorry about that," she apologized. "I meant, Naegi. Come here. Take a look at this."

Makoto walked up to Sayaka and see what she's holding. They saw a sheet of paper that appears to be a pamphlet. It seemed to be poorly made, with crude drawings and messy handwriting. Everything on the pamphlet seemed to be drawn with a crayon. The pamphlet reads, "Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy. Please meet up at the gym by 8:00 to begin your stay." That's it. There's nothing else on the pamphlet.

"I thought I was in Hope's Peak Academy, the most prestigious school in perhaps the entire world," Makoto remarked. "I expect this to be more professionally made, not look like it was made by a child. Who thought this was a good idea?"

Sayaka looked away from the pamphlet and up at the clock in the classroom. It reads 7:30. Whether it's morning or evening is impossible to tell, as there are no available windows to look outside. However, the time indicates that they need to get to the gym soon. Sayaka soon set down the pamphlet.

"We should get going," Sayaka said. "It does say that we have to meet at the gym, wherever that is. Come on...Naegi. Let's go."

Makoto and Sayaka began to walk out of the classroom. They reached the door and slid it open.

* * *

As soon as Makoto and Sayaka opened the door, they met another boy waiting for them. He has short, black hair, big eyebrows, and red eyes. His uniform is a white school uniform in a military style, with a red armband on his left arm.

"Hello!" the boy greeted.

Makoto was startled from the unexpected appearance of the new student. He fell backwards into the classroom as Sayaka and the boy watched.

"Are you okay?" Sayaka asked as she crouched to check on Makoto.

Makoto rubbed his back. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied before being helped back on his feet. He then looked at the boy who startled him. "Hey, don't scare me like that!"

"My apologies!" the boy said. "I didn't mean to do that! I was just trying to give you some good greetings!"

"Is this how you greet people?" Sayaka asked. "You shouldn't have done that. You could've hurt someone."

"I could've hurt someone?" the boy asked. He then gripped his hair as he started crying. "Aw man! My perfect record! I promised myself that I will not let anyone get hurt at all!"

"Come on, it's that bad," Makoto said. "I just got a minor injury. Nothing more. By the way, we never got your name. Mind saying it to us?"

The boy stopped crying for a moment before immediately moving to a saluting pose. "My apologies again!" he said. "I've been so worked up that I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru!"

**Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Ultimate Hall Monitor**

"Now, with that out of the way, let's make our way to the gym!" Kiyotaka said. "Follow me!" He then headed out towards the gym.

Makoto and Sayaka stared at each other for a moment before making their way to the gym. As they went to their destination, they looked around at the hallways. For some reason, the hallways feel so surreal. This is supposed to be Hope's Peak Academy, right? Why does everything about this place feel so off? Who knows. They kept these thoughts in mind as they traveled through the athletics sector.

* * *

The athletics sector of Hope's Peak Academy contains much of what one expects to see. There is a gym, a swimming pool, changing rooms, and a trophy display. The trophy display held many awards earned by the students, including a golden sword trophy won by a former Ultimate Student.The swimming pool and changing rooms are currently inaccessible, being blocked by locked doors. Makoto and Sayaka tried to open them, but the doors won't budge. In addition, there is a stairway near the athletics sector that's been closed off by a gate. They tried to open that up as well, but nothing happened. This left the gym as the only place left to go. Makoto and Sayaka reached the double doors and opened them up together.

The gym is pretty much a standard gym, despite this being the most prestigious school in the world. Everyone who went in the gym expected better out of Hope's Peak Academy. The gym is filled with the expected stuff. There are lines marking the playing fields of various sports. There are bleachers on both sides of the gym. At the opposite side of the doors is a stage. Sayaka grew excited to see the stage at first, but then wondered if there are any musical instruments or microphones on the stage. She figured that there's no musical instruments, much to her disappointment.

The gym was already occupied by several people before Makoto and Sayaka arrived. Without counting Kiyotaka, there is a busty girl wearing some sports clothing, a big girl wearing a martial arts uniform, a girl whose hair is tied up in two massive pigtails, and a boy who wears three layers of clothing and has large dreadlocks that go in many directions.

Kiyotaka looked a little confused upon seeing how empty the gym is. "Wait, where is everyone?" he asked. "I thought that everyone was supposed to meet here."

The boy...actually he looks a bit older than the rest of them. The young man turned around and saw the newcomers. "Oh hey!" he said. "Look! New students!"

The athletic girl and the big girl looked like they were talking to each other. They stopped their conversation to look at the new students that just came.

"Oh, hi there!" the athletic girl said. "You must be new here. I'm Aoi Asahina. You can call me Hina if you want."

**Aoi Asahina - Ultimate Swimmer**

Hina made a big smile as she greeted the newcomers.

"Oh, I've heard of you before," Sayaka said. "You're the one who's catching all the attention in sports recently."

"Yep, that's right!" Hina replied. "I might be called the Ultimate Swimmer, but I do play a lot of sports! Swimming's my favorite, if you couldn't tell." She then looked over to the big girl she talked to. "This is my friend, Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. She might look intimidating, but she actually has a kind heart. I met her just this morning. Say hi, Sakura!"

Sakura stared at the newcomers and let out a huff of air.

Hina realized that she made a slight mistake. "Oh, whoops," she said. "I meant, say hi, Ogami?"

Sakura just let out a frustrated sigh.

**Sakura Ogami - Ultimate Martial Artist**

"Wait, you know her from before?" Makoto asked.

"Err...no," Hina replied. "Didn't you hear what I said earlier? I just met Ogami this morning. Of course I don't know her before coming to Hope's Peak Academy!"

Makoto just stared at Hina for a moment. "Okay..." he said.

Suddenly, Kiyotaka started talking. "This is not the time for introductions!" he shouted. "Where is everyone? I thought everyone was supposed to wait here. Where did they go? Does anyone know?"

The girl with the massive pigtails rolled her eyes. "Uh, duh!" she said. "They all got bored and went out to do their own thing. Do you really expect to like, stay here with nothing else to do?"

"They went out to do their own thing?" Kiyotaka repeated. "I thought I told them to stay here while I search for the remaining students in this school."

"Why don't we search for them?" Makoto suggested.

"I was going to do that," Kiyotaka replied. "Stay here, everyone. I'm going out for a moment to get everyone else. Don't leave when I'm not looking, got it?" He then walked towards the exit, with the other students watching him.

"Well, guess there's nothing left to do for us except to talk," Hina said. She then turned back to Sakura and resumed her conversation with her. "Hey, Sakura! Err...I mean Ogami! So about that fight you mentioned. What was that about?"

While Hina and Sakura are talking to each other, Makoto and Sayaka decided to meet the other students in the gym. Their first stop was the girl with the massive pigtails.

"Ciao! I'm Junko Enoshima!" the girl introduced herself. "Charmed! I'm sure!"

**Junko Enoshima - Ultimate Fashionista**

"I remember you!" Sayaka said. "You're the fashionista that saw a boom in popularity. I think it's because of your...uh...interesting fashion tastes."

Junko grinned with a wide smile. "That's, like, so true!" she replied. "People these days don't realize how cool western fashion trends are. They should try them someday."

Makoto and Sayaka aren't sure if they really agree with that. They decided to ignore it as they moved on to other topics.

Makoto leaned forward a bit and examined Junko. For some reason, her appearance seemed a bit...off. "Hey, Enoshima?" he began. "Is it just me, or do you look different than your magazine cover photos?"

"What? I look different?" Junko reacted. "Shouldn't you have expected this? Fashion icons these days have their appearances in photos altered to make them more attractive. If you're surprised by this, then you'd be totally blown away at how much our bodies are altered. Those digital editors make our eyes bigger, our bodies curvier, and our skin look like porcelain." She then batted an eye at Sayaka. "I'm pretty sure your appearance has been altered as well to attract even more of your loony fans!"

"Hey! Don't call my fans loony!" Sayaka shouted back. "Most of my fans aren't that obsessive!"

"Well, you'd better be watching your back, you blue haired idol," Junko continued. "You may find yourself meeting your end by the hands of one of your loony fans!"

"Hey! I thought predicting the future was supposed to be my job!" the sea-urchin headed man shouted.

"Shut up, fortune teller!" Junko shouted. "No one listens to your stupid predictions anyway."

"You want a prediction that you don't like?" the man asked. "Fine! I'll give you one! You're going to meet an end by the hands of the one you love the most!"

"Whoa there!" Makoto shouted as he moved in to break up the fight. "Calm down, you two. This is not the time to get into a fight!"

Junko stopped fighting against the man and scoffed. She turned her back on Makoto and Sayaka and walked away.

Makoto was relieved that he managed to break up another fight, but wasn't sure if he defused the tension entirely. He felt that a fight between Junko and the man might spark again. He then felt someone patting on his back.

"Phew! Thanks for defending me, little one," the man congratulated.

Makoto took a step away from the man. "Excuse me!" he said. "Do you even have a sense of personal space?"

"Who cares?" the man said. "You're my friend now! Let me introduce myself. Name's Yasuhiro Hagakure, Hiro for short!"

**Yasuhiro Hagakure - Ultimate Clairvoyant**

"As a reward for defending me, let me give you a fortune!" Hiro said. "Here, offer me your hand."

Makoto took another step away from Hiro. "Uh...you don't have to do that, Hiro," he said.

"I think you should give Ma...Naegi some personal space," Sayaka suggested. "I can tell he doesn't feel comfortable around you, Hiro. Why don't you-"

Instead of taking Makoto's hand and reading his fortune, Hiro instead took Sayaka's hand and read her fortune. Makoto and Sayaka felt awkward seeing this happen, even more so for Sayaka. Sayaka watched as Hiro rubbed his thumbs on her hand. She felt like pulling her hand away at any moment.

"Oh, here we go!" Hiro said as he finished the fortune reading. "You're going to have a baby soon!"

Makoto and Sayaka felt even worse by the fortune they got.

"That...doesn't sound like a good fortune to get..." Sayaka said.

"Really? You're saying that Maizono is going to have a baby soon?" Makoto asked. He then looked around the gym. "We're in Hope's Peak, so we must be at least 16 years old to attend this school. I don't think any of us are willing to have babies this early in life."

"What?" Hiro asked, not getting the unfortunate implications. "My fortunes come true 30% of the time every time. I don't see why you should become worried over that."

"30% of the time?!" Sayaka gasped. "That's below even odds! That fortune better not become true. I don't want to raise a baby while I'm still in school!"

"I get where you're coming from, Maizono," Makoto said. "You're an idol. If you're caught having a baby, then that would imply that someone did...something to do, and that would cause a major scandal." He then turned to Hiro and shook his head at him. "Still, your predictions don't make any sense, Hiro."

"My fortunes don't make sense?" Hiro said. "Why are you so worried about my fortunes? My fortunes may sound a little crazy, but they become true 30% of the time, every time. That's high, even by fortune telling standards!"

The amount of shocking information became too much for Makoto and Sayaka to handle. A nasty feeling developed in their stomachs, especially for Sayaka (they didn't even eat anything before coming here). Sayaka thought about it and the best solution she could think of is getting out of here as soon as she can. She make a break for the doors, but not before grabbing Makoto by the hood and dragging him away.

Junko heard some commotion going on from her side. Looking at the door wall, she noticed Sayaka dragging Makoto away in that direction. She gasped upon seeing this. "Hey! What did Ishimaru say about not leaving this place?" she shouted. "Didn't he told you two to stay here?"

But it's too late. Sayaka exited the gym along with Makoto.

* * *

"Maizono, you really don't have to drag me along," Makoto complained as he and Sayaka stood in the athletics hallway.

Sayaka gasped for air. "Sorry about that, Naegi," she apologized. "It's just that...I don't feel like being in the gym anymore. Hiro, he made me want to get out of there."

"Okay, I get it," Makoto replied. "I started to get weird thoughts about Hiro as soon as he offered me a fortune telling as soon as we met. He even switched his customer as soon as I backed out. But do you really have to take me out of the gym with you?"

Sayaka thought about the actions she took in that moment. "Um...I don't really know," she said. "I just...don't want you to be alone."

"Alone?" Makoto reacted. "There are several people in that gym with me! Do you think that I would be alone in there?"

"Oh..." Sayaka realized. She then tried to come up with a different reason. "I...I got nothing."

Makoto let out a sigh. "Well, let's not think about that for too long," he said. "We are outside the gym, so why don't we look around the school and search for everyone else?"

Sayaka nodded in agreement. "Good idea!" she said. "I'd like to meet new people. This sounds interesting."

"Okay, let's get going," Makoto said.

Makoto and Sayaka then took a walk around the school, searching for any remaining students. Along the way, they strike up a brief conversation.

"So, about the fortune Hiro gave to you," Makoto began. "Do you think it'll become true? Are you really getting a baby soon?"

Sayaka placed her hand around her belly in discomfort. She could feel it growling, but she thinks it's because she's hungry. She hasn't eaten anything since this morning. She soon realized that she's getting off track, so she replied to the question Makoto gave her. "No," she simply said.

"That's a relief," Makoto replied. "I don't listen to fortune tellers myself. Most of their fortunes just don't come true. Even if Hiro has a high accuracy rating, that's still a low chance of his fortunes coming true. But still, I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student. Low chances are bound to happen. Hey Maizono-"

Sayaka cut off Makoto before he could continue. "Wait," she said. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Makoto asked. "I was about to ask you something."

"Listen," Sayaka ordered.

Makoto and Sayaka could hear a few voices coming from deeper in the hallway. Those are new voices, not like the voices they've known before.

"Are these...new classmates?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka silently nodded. "It's coming from over there," she said, pointing to the entrance hall. "Let's go there next!"

Makoto and Sayaka ran up to the entrance hall. They didn't enter it, though. They stayed near the doorway and listened to the voices coming from inside.

* * *

"Come on! Just open already! Gah! Shit, broke my fingers."

"Ha! Do you really think you can open a metal door with your bare fists? That's what I expect from the leader of a sad excuse of a gang."

"You piece of shit! Don't you dare call my gang that!"

"Piece of shit? Do you know who you're insulting? I'm the heir to the Kuzuryu Clan, and nobody messes with the Kuzuryu Clan and gets away with it!"

"...!"

A redhead, a blonde, and a corn-haired man (if you value your life, don't being that up ever again) stand in front of what is presumably the entrance. A large metal vault door stands in place of an actual door. The man was repeatably mocked by the blonde while the redhead could do nothing but watch.

The redhead let out a sigh. "Why am I stuck in here with you two?" he asked. "It'll be much more bearable if one of you can play a musical instrument."

The blonde suddenly turned around and glared at the redhead. "What? Are you saying that I should be playing a musical instrument?" she asked. "Do I look like a musician to you? Don't make me laugh, you punk wannabe!"

"Hey! Shut up already!" the man shouted

"You shut up as well!" the blonde shouted back.

The man and the blonde growled at each other for quite a while. Meanwhile, the redhead couldn't help but watch and groan. He wished that somebody came in and get him out of this situation. Luckily, it took him one look at the entrance to make him feel better.

Makoto and Sayaka are investigating the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy in search of their classmates. They heard some commotion going on in the entrance hall and took a peek inside to see what's going on. The redhead grew excited when he laid his eyes on Sayaka. He ran up to her.

"Oh, thank god you came," the redhead said. "I was wondering when you'd show up. You really saved me there. I had a feeling that I was going to be stuck with these two for who knows how long."

Sayaka doesn't know why she did this, but she took a step back as soon as the redhead approached her. She sounded awkward when she spoke to him. "Um...you're welcome?" she said.

"Oh, don't be like that," the redhead said. "You're more confident than that! I'm sure an introduction will help you. Name's Leon Kuwata. I'm so excited to meet you!"

**Leon Kuwata - Ultimate Baseball Player**

Makoto took a look at Leon for a moment and can't help but feel that something's...off about him. "Wait, what are you supposed to be again?" he asked. "You're supposed to be the star player of your baseball team, right? If I recall correctly, you're the Ultimate Baseball Player. So...why do you dress this way?"

Leon took a glance at Makoto. "Huh? Who are you?" he asked. "And what were you expecting out of me?" Then he took a brief look at Sayaka. "And are you trying to steal Maizono from me?"

"Huh? Naegi's trying to steal me from you?" Sayaka asked. "Hey, Naegi met me first! If anything, you're trying to steal me from him!"

"What?" Leon said. "What are you saying?"

"Whoa, let's not get into that," Makoto said, breaking up another fight. "What I'm trying to say, Kuwata, is why do you dress nothing like a baseball player?"

Leon had a feeling that this was going to be brought out. "Aw man, did you see that photo of me?" he asked. "You know, the one where my head was shaved? I hate that photo! It makes me look uncool! It's not like I had a choice. I was forced to shave my head because it was 'tournament regulations'. Well, regulations my ass! I'm not shaving my head ever again!"

"Ha! Classic Kuwata!" the blonde said as she walked up to Leon. "Trying to be a rebel."

Leon was startled by the blonde. "Gah! Natsumi?!" he shouted. "I didn't ask you to come here!"

"Hey, slow down for a moment!" Makoto ordered. "One at a time, please?"

"Do you think you can make me do something?" the blonde asked. "You wish!"

Despite the blonde's rather...mean personality, Sayaka tried her best to reason with the blonde. She tried talking to her.

"So...who are you?" Sayaka asked.

"Oh, you want to know who I am?" the blonde asked. "I'm the heir to the top yakuza clan in Japan. Be warned: if you dare to mess with my clan, you're going to face punishment. I'm the one, the only, Natsumi Kuzuryu!"

**Natsumi Kuzuryu - Ultimate Yakuza**

Okay, so Natsumi isn't someone anyone would like to hang out with. She did say that she's the heir to the top yakuza clan so...nope!

"Uh, it's nice to meet you," Sayaka said with uncertainty, "but I think I have somewhere to go." She then ran out of the entrance hall. "Come on, Makoto! Err...Naegi!"

Makoto watched as Sayaka ran away. "Hey! Maizono!" he shouted. He ran after her. "Wait up!"

"Wait, Maizono!" Leon shouted. "Come back! I wanted to talk to you a little longer!"

The man at the back of the room realized that he hasn't introduced himself. "Wait, what about me?!" he shouted. "I'm Mondo Owada, and I'm the-"

"Shut up, Owada!" Natsumi shouted. "Nobody cares!"

* * *

The infirmary of Hope's Peak Academy has many tools that are commonly found in hospitals and clinics. There are medical beds, curtains, medicines, first-aid kits, and diagnostic tools. There's even a few blood packs in storage in the rare case that somebody needs blood.

Kiyotaka is in such room along with a tall man with black, messy hair. They're having an argument over something.

"Listen, Ishimaru," the black haired man said. "We're a bunch of teenagers stuck in the same building for who knows how long. Do you really expect everyone to maintain abstinence?"

"Relax, Dr. Matsuda!" Kiyotaka replied. "I can assure you that none of the boys are entering the girls' rooms and mess around with them. I will make sure everyone maintains abstinence, because that kind of behavior is intolerable in a school setting!"

The man, presumably named Dr. Matsuda, sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically.

"Great!" Kiyotaka said, oblivious to the sarcasm. "Now, get to the gym as soon as you can! We're all waiting for you there."

The door to the infirmary opens up, and in comes Makoto and Sayaka.

"Phew! At least we're away from them for now," Sayaka said in relief. She then looked around the room. "Is this the nurse's office?"

"Looks like one," Makoto replied. "At least we can get treated if we got injured. If only there's a doctor or a nurse in the building."

Kiyotaka heard the familiar voices and turned around. He saw Makoto and Sayaka, outside the gym for no reason. "Hey! What are you two doing outside the gym?" he asked. "I thought I told you to stay here while I get everyone back in the gym!"

"Oh, hey Ishimaru," Makoto greeted. "Well, we would stay at the gym, but then things got a little...nasty in there. It wasn't much better at the entrance hall. Maybe that's why everyone decided to go out there and do their own thing."

Kiyotaka let out a frustrated groan. "We're supposed to be a class," he said. "Why couldn't we get along? Just get back to the gym when you can. I'll be out searching for the rest of our classmates." He then walked out of the room.

After Kiyotaka left the room, Makoto and Sayaka walked up to the tall man.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" Makoto asked.

Dr. Matsuda let out a sigh. "Do I really have to do this?" he asked. "Fine. I'm Dr. Yasuke Matsuda."

**Yasuke Matsuda - Ultimate Neurologist**

"Now, can you two get out of here?" Yasuke asked. "There's something that I need to check, and I don't want anyone to disturb my work."

It looks like Yasuke doesn't want to hang out with anyone. Makoto and Sayaka decided to just leave Yasuke alone and search the school for the rest of their classmates.

* * *

The next place Makoto and Sayaka decided to look is the store. The store is...well, there's no other way to describe the store other than packed. The store is filled to the brim with all sorts of merchandise. It's also really small, and the really chubby guy doesn't help.

"Whoa!" Makoto yelped as soon as he saw the chubby guy. "Excuse me, but you're taking up so much space!"

The chubby guy took offense to that. "Hey! Don't shame me for being fat!" he shouted. "What? Are you using this right now?"

"No," Makoto replied.

The chubby guy realized that he hasn't introduced himself. "Oh, you must be new here," he said. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Hifumi Yamada. But if you want to call me by my pen name, 'The Alpha and the Omega', then I don't mind."

**Hifumi Yamada - Ultimate Fan Creator**

Makoto found Hifumi's pen name to be a bit much to say. "Just...your name is fine," he said. "I'm Makoto Naegi. Nice to...meet you."

Hifumi then noticed that Makoto is accompanied by Sayaka. "No way," he gasped. "Mr. Naegi, is that the one and only Miss Maizono?"

Makoto and Sayaka could feel a drop of sweat dripping from their heads.

"Oh no, not this again," Sayaka said.

"Is that how you call people?" Makoto asked. "I'm surprised that you respect people this much."

"Oh, don't think that all of us fan creators spend all of their time sitting behind a screen," Hifumi said, "unlike the loser who's writing my lines."

"What?" Makoto reacted in confusion.

"Anyways, I may not look like it, but I do go out a lot," Hifumi said. "When I'm not in my home wasting away behind a screen, I go out to conventions and sell my works. I can sell thousands of copies. Thousands! You should give a shot! It's really fun to make your own creations based on an existing property!"

"I...don't need to hear that," Makoto replied.

Hifumi then took a look at Sayaka, much to her discomfort. "As for you, Miss Maizono, I have no intention of hanging out with you."

Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm not much of a music fan," Hifumi explained. "I'm more of a fan of TV shows and other fan-made works. It love it when people express their passion about the things they love. But if there's one type of fan who I won't tolerate, it's the one who takes their obsession too far. Even the super of superstars are human. Stop intruding on their lives!"

Makoto and Sayaka aren't sure how to react to that except for silence.

"Let's not talk about that anymore," Makoto suggested. "For now, why don't you head out to the gym? There are some who are there waiting for everyone else to come. It's probably almost time to go there."

"Aw, that place?" Hifumi said. "Fine! I'll go there! But don't make me do exercises there. It sucks on my body!" He then sprinted out of the store and towards the gym, ironically doing some exercising himself. He turns a corner and crashed into something.

"Hey, watch your step, you big ball of misery!" Natsumi shouted.

"What's going on out there?" Yasuke said as he forcefully opened a door. "Can you guys quiet down? I'm trying to do my job!"

Makoto and Sayaka felt like they don't want to be here anymore. They searched for another way out of the area. It looks like they've explored everything this area has to offer, except for the hallway leading into a different area. It is labeled "Despair Hotel". There's something about that name that makes them nervous. They figured that they shouldn't be too worried. They entered the hallway and went into another area.

* * *

A large room welcomes Makoto and Sayaka as they got out of the hallway.. It appears to be a central meeting place. To their left is what seems to be a bathhouse and laundry room. The bathhouse is currently closed off, though. At the front is a closed off gate. To their right is a large set of double doors. Based on the sign next to it, those doors lead to the dining room. They could smell some food from those doors. There might be some students in there. Makoto and Sayaka decided to go there next.

The dining room has all the expected things. There are tables in the room surrounded by several chairs. At the back of the room is another door that leads into the kitchen. Several students are occupying some of the seats, thought they sat at separate tables. At one table, there was a blond man wearing glasses and an expensive looking suit. At another table, there was a girl with two large drill pigtails wearing an elaborate dress. The third table had a girl wearing glasses. The glasses wearing girl is staring at the blonde man for some reason.

Kiyotaka is seen in the room as well, having an argument with the blond man.

"Come on already!" Kiyotaka shouted. "We have to get to the gym as soon as possible! It says so on this paper!" He pulled out the pamphlet Makoto and Sayaka have seen earlier.

The blond man took a sip of his tea. "Do you really think you can control me?" he asked. "I'm not willing to listen to an ordinary like you. You have shame tied to your family's name. You have no right to command me. Also, do you really think I'll read something that's made by a child? Get that piece of junk out of my sight." He then snatched the pamphlet and crumpled it up.

"Hey!" Kiyotaka exclaimed. "Aw..."

The glasses wearing girl grew giddy when the blond man crumpled up the paper. "Classic Master Togami," she muttered. "You're so great..."

"What are you doing?" Makoto asked as he and Sayaka approached the glasses wearing girl.

The glasses wearing girl was startled by the sudden appearance of two students. "Gah!" she shrieked. "Where did you two come from?"

"Whoa!" Makoto yelped, jumping from the glasses wearing girl's reaction. "Uh, we came from outside. This room, I mean."

The glasses wearing girl was unconvinced. "D-don't sneak on people like that!" she said. "Y-you could've scared them."

"Oh...sorry about that," Makoto apologized. "I didn't mean to."

Sayaka took a step forward. "Who are you?" she asked. "And why are you staring at that man?"

The glasses wearing girl stood up. "W-why even bother?" she asked. "You're g-going to forget about me." A brief moment of silence followed. "F-fine! I'll t-tell you. I'm T-Toko Fukawa."

**Toko Fukawa - Ultumate Novelist**

Sayaka's eyes brighten up upon hearing Toko's name. "Oh, you're the Toko Fukawa?" she said. "I remember seeing your novels before. I never got a change to read since I'm an idol. But based on your appearance in this school, I think I'll like them."

Toko suddenly pointed at Sayaka. "W-what kind of response i-is that?" she said. "Y-you're doing this for an interview in some trendy m-magazine, aren't you. You'll probably say, 'I've been reading my classmate's books lately,' or something. I bet you have a staged answer ready for the media."

Sayaka was shocked by accusation. "W-what do you mean?" she asked.

Makoto stepped in between Sayaka and Toko, defending Sayaka. "Hey, don't accuse Saya-err, Maizono like that!" he shouted. "You're getting it wrong!"

Toko leered at Makoto. "You almost said her first name," she noted. "Who are you? Are you her s-secret boyfriend or something?"

Makoto and Sayaka gasped at the accusation. Makoto grew outraged.

"It's not like that!" Makoto shouted as he stomped his feet.

"Would you guys please quiet down?!" Kiyotaka shouted. This drew all the attention towards Kiyotaka. He out huffs of air in frustration. "I'm having a hard enough time getting everyone to the gym, and you guys arguing against each other is not helping it! I'm so done here. Forget this, I'm getting out." He then slowly walked out of the dining room in defeat.

"That was...interesting," the blond remarked.

"Oh...Master Togami," Toko said, looking a bit too excited.

Makoto and Sayaka turn their attention to the blond. "Who's that?" Makoto asked.

"That's my master," Toko replied. "Master Byakuya Togami, the boy of my dreams."

**Byakuya Togami - Ultimate Scion**

Byakuya heard what Toko was saying and gave her a mean look. "Shut up," he said.

This only aroused Toko even more. "Oh!" she gasped. "That feels so nice."

"Don't hang out with her for too long," a new voice said. "She's way out of her mind."

Makoto and Sayaka heard the new voice and turned around. They were met with the girl with the drill pigtails.

"Whoa," Makoto said upon seeing the girl. "We didn't expect to see you here. Who are you?"

The girl bowed down. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "My name is Celestia Ludenberg, gambling prodigy."

**Celestia Ludenberg - Ultimate Gambler**

"Celestia...Luden...what?" Makoto said.

"That's a bit of a mouthful to say," Sayaka commented. "Do you have a shorter name we could use?"

"Why yes, of course," Celestia said. "You may call me Celeste if you want."

"Oh, thank you," Sayaka replied. "Nice to meet you Celeste."

Makoto doesn't seem to be welcoming towards Celeste, though. He studied her with a suspicious eye. "You are Japanese, right?" he asked.

Celeste raised one of her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"If you don't mind, could you please tell me your real name?" Makoto asked.

"Huh? Why did you ask Celeste that?" Sayaka asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Celeste replied. "I can assure you that Celestia Ludenberg is my real name. As I said earlier, you can call me Celeste."

This doesn't help anyone at all. Sayaka leaned over to Makoto and whispered into his ear.

"Do you really have to ask Celeste that?" Sayaka asked quietly.

Makoto let out a breath of air. "I don't know," he replied quietly. "There just...something off about her. I feel like she's really Japanese."

"I heard that," Celeste said, to the surprise of Makoto and Sayaka. "No, I'm not Japanese. I'm a foreign exchange student."

The entire room fell into silence as everyone stared at Celeste. Except for Toko. She's still staring at Byakuya while being lost in her thoughts.

"Don't listen to her," Byakuya said. "Everything she says is a lie. If you believe her lies, then you're a foolish ordinary."

Celeste then turned her attention to Byakuya. "I'm not a liar," she insisted. "Everything I tell you is true. My name is Celestia Ludenberg, and I'm a foreign exhange student from Germany."

"There are only two things about you that are true," Byakuya said. "You're the Ultimate Gambler and you're the Queen of Liars. That's it."

"I can assure you that are are more things that are true about me," Celeste claimed.

Toko switched her focus on Byakuya and Celeste back and forth multiple times. "Ooh, who's going to win this?" she said. "I bet it's Master Togami. Please, Master! Win for me!"

The entire situation made Makoto and Sayaka not want to be in the dining room anymore. Maybe they should've waited at the gym for everyone else to come back. As they thought about leaving the room and returning to the gym, the screen suddenly turned on. Everyone was stunned into silence as an announcement plays. The screen turned on, featuring a silhouette of something that resembles a bear.

"Ahem," a strange, high-pitched voice said. "Hello? Hello? Testing, testing. Good! Hello, fellow students. This is your headmaster speaking. Welcome to your stay at Hope's Peak Academy. We hope you enjoy your time in this school. Please gather at the gym to begin the welcoming ceremony."

...That was a strange voice for a headmaster to have. And that appearance...is the headmaster really a bear? Or are they wearing a bear costume? Whatever is the case, there's something unnerving about the headmaster.

"What? It's time already?" Makoto gasped. He checked the clock to confirm the time. It reads 8:00, probably in the morning.

Byakuya stood up from his seat. "Well, if there's anyone who I cannot disobey, it's the headmaster," he said. "I'll be going to the gym soon. Don't expect me to be happy about seeing you." He then left the dining room.

"Wait! Master Togami!" Toko cried as she reached out towards Byakuya. "Crap, he's going to the gym. That means I'll have to be with those meatheads who have more muscle than brain cells. But I don't have a choice." After briefly considering her decisions, Toko decided to run after Byakuya, shouting his name as she ran out the dining room.

The remaining trio watched as Toko after Byakuya to the gym. They figured that they should be heading there as well.

"How unfortunate," Celeste sighed as she turned to Makoto. "Looks like we can't hang out any longer. I hope we get to meet again...whatever your name is. I look forward to getting to know you better." She then giggled before exiting the room.

"We should get going, Naegi," Sayaka said. "Everyone else is waiting for us."

Makoto sighed. "I hope our classmates treat us better this time," he said.

Without saying another word, Makoto and Sayaka ran straight to the gym.

* * *

Makoto and Sayaka burst through the doors of the gym, catching the attention of everyone inside.

"Oh hey, they're back!" Hiro excitedly said. "So, counting those two, we now have a total of 15 students."

"Wait, 15 students?" Kiyotaka said, feeling a bit suspicious about that count. "No, something's not right. It feels like we're missing someone. Hold on. Let me check." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. He then flipped to a page containing the list of all the students. "Alright, I'm calling out the names of everyone in this school. Tell me if you heard your name being called. Starting with Asahina, Aoi."

"Here!" Hina responded with a raise of her hand.

"Alright, good start," Kiyotaka noted. He continued down the list of names. "Enoshima, Junko. Fukawa, Toko." Kiyotaka soon encountered a blank space on the fourth row. He isn't sure why it was here, but decided to ignore it and continue down the list. "Hagakure, Yasuhiro. Ishimaru, Kiyotaka, that's me. Kirigiri-"

Kiyotaka suddenly stopped when he encountered that name. As far as he knows, the person bearing that name is currently absent. He searched the gym looking for that person.

"I'm missing Kirigiri," Kiyotaka said. "Has anyone seen her? Does anyone know where her last known whereabouts?"

As if it's right on cue, the doors to the gym suddenly open. Entering the gym is a lavender haired girl.

"Oh, there you are!" Kiyotaka said. "Kyoko Kirigiri! You're late! Where have you been?"

**Kyoko Kirigiri - Ultimate ???**

Kyoko said nothing as she walked towards the stage. She kept her silence as she passed by the students, even if they wanted to start a conversation with her. Everyone watched Kyoko as she ignored them completely.

"Okay..." Kiyotaka commented. "Guess she won't have any words to say. Moving on!" He continues down the list as if nothing strange happened. "Kuzuryu, Natsumi. Kuwata, Leon. Ludenberg, Celestia."

"Please, call me Celeste," Celestia suggested.

"Like the mountain?" Hifumi asked, looking excited.

Celeste took a moment to stare at Hifumi, wondering what he's thinking.

"Maizono, Sayaka," Kiyotaka continued. "Naegi, Makoto. Ogami, Sakura. Owada, Mondo. Togami, Byakuya. Yamada, Hifumi. And finally, Dr. Matsuda, Yasuke. Alright, that's all of them!"

Yasuke sighed. "Can we get to the main event now?" he asked. "I need to get back to work."

"Oh, don't be so impatient, Yasuke," Junko said as she walked up to Yasuke and wrapped her arm around him. "You can get back to work someday. For now, you have me! Why don't we have some fun hanging out with each other?" She then played with Yasuke, much to his annoyance.

The others took note of how...affectionate Junko is towards Yasuke. They stare at the couple with confused eyes.

Yasuke stared at his classmates back. "We're childhood friends," he explained. "Junko and I have known each other for years. Didn't appreciate her affection, though. She tends to get in the way of my work."

Nobody had anything to say about that.

"Alright, enough talk," Kiyotaka said. "Now, the headmaster did say that we have to gather here for the opening ceremony, right? So, when's it starting?"

As everyone began to wonder when the opening ceremony begin, a high pitched voice, the same one from the intercoms, filled the air. A chill went down everyone's spines.

"Hello? Hello?" the voice said. "Testing, testing. Is everyone here? Good! Now, let's get this started!"

The voice seemed to be coming from the stage. Everyone turned their attention towards the stage. For some reason, there's a strange, oppressive feeling in the air. Most of the students started to become nervous. The ones that didn't maintain their calm, collected demeanor.

Suddenly, a bear popped out of the stage and landed on the podium. The bear was split down the middle in half. On its left side, the body is white and the face looked pretty normal, almost like a typical teddy bear. Its right side stands out as sinister. The right side is black, and the face is anything but normal. The black side had a red eye with sharp corners with a wide, sinister grin. It looks like a yin-hang symbol that's been turned into a toy.

From the moment that stuffed bear appeared, everything changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several months ago before I started writing this, I once started to write out a massive killing game that involves all the characters in the three mainline games, plus a few more. After I experienced Danganronpa with my own eyes, however, I start to grow uncomfortable about continuing my own killing games. It took me a few months to recover, but by the time that happened I lost my plans for my massive killing game. So I had to scrap that.
> 
> Instead, I decided to take things all the way back to the first game, starting a killing game featuring most of the cast of the first game. You may have noticed that a certain someone is absent from this killing game. Don't worry. They will show up, just much later. You may have also noticed that I included both Natsumi and Yasuke into this killing game as well. Why is that?
> 
> Natsumi Kuzuryu is someone that doesn't get a lot of characterization in canon. The only things we know about her is that she's Fuyuhiko's younger sister and that she's involved in the Twilight Syndrome case. That's it. I found it odd how Natsumi was placed into the same class as Hajime despite being younger than Fuyuhiko, so I changed it so that she's placed into the same year as Class 78.
> 
> As for Yasuke, I figured that the mastermind really want to make him suffer. Instead of killing him off, she placed him into a killing game. That's despair logic for you. Also, Yasuke could really use some visibility outside of novels and cameo appearance/mentions.
> 
> You may have also noticed that a curtain someone is absent from the cast. I wonder where they went...


	2. Prologue Part 2: The Start of Another Killing Game

The bear was absolutely bewildering. Nobody could comprehend what they're feeling right now. Some people didn't take the bear seriously. They just assumed that it's just a toy.

"What is this?" Yasuke asked. "A teddy bear? Is that supposed to be our headmaster?"

"Well, it does look cute," Junko remarked. "Can I keep it? I wanna have it!"

"Shut up!" the bear spoke. It sounded bright and masculine, something that clashed against the oppressive feeling everyone was experiencing. "I am not just a teddy bear! I am not just a toy! I am Monokuma, the headmaster of this school. Nice to meet you all, my familiar students!"

The bear speaking made several students freak out.

"Gah!" Hiro screamed. "It can talk!"

"What kind of madness is this?!" Hifumi screamed.

Natsumi laughed at the screaming students in mockery. "You're really scared of a toy?" she asked. "What a coward!"

"Calm down, everyone!" Kiyotaka said. "I'm sure there's a reason why it can talk. There must be a speaker inside it. And Kuzuryu, please stop mocking your classmates. This type of behavior is unacceptable!"

"Says the one who shouts a lot," Natsumi countered. "And by way, call me Natsumi. Everyone calls me that because nobody wanted to even speak my family's name."

"I am not a toy," Monokuma insisted as he waved his arms. "I am Monokuma, your headmaster! Do I have to tell you again?!"

"Waaaaah!" Hifumi screamed. "It can move as well!" He fell on the floor wailing his arms as Natsumi laughed and mocked him. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka continued to scold Natsumi.

"Calm down, already," Yasuke said. "It's probably just a remote controlled toy."

Monokuma grew infuriated upon being called a toy yet again. "How many times to I have to tell you?" he asked. "I. Am. Not. A. Toy! I'm Monokuma, the headmaster of this school. Do I need to repeat myself again? Contained within me are some of the most complex robotic systems the world has ever seen. My remote control systems are so complex, not even those eggheads at JAXA can comprehend me! Oh, I might've just insulted our country's space agency, which a curtain astronaut won't take lightly. Oh well. Wherever or whoever that astronaut is, he's definitely not going to see the light of day ever again."

Yasuke stared at Monokuma, wondering what he meant. "What?" he flatly said.

"Anyways, we've been dragging this on for far too long," Monokuma said. "Now then, let's get this opening ceremony started! To start things off, how about we being by talking about your school life?"

The students paid close attention to Monokuma was about to say.

"Now make no mistake," Monokuma began. "You few students are filled with so much potential. That's why you represent the hope of the world. But sometimes, the world is not suited for you hope filled students. To protect this hope, you must live a communal life together within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony while abiding to the rules and regulations of this school."

"What rules?" Leon asked. "What regulations? You didn't even tell us what the rules are!"

"I'll get to that later," Monokuma replied. "As for the end date of this communal life...there isn't one!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing that they'll have to spend the rest of their lives living in this school.

"There's no end?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka latched on to Makoto...without either of them realizing it. "Wait...are you saying that we're living here until the day we die?" she asked.

"Yep!" Monokuma confirmed. "The only end date to your communal life is the day you die."

Toko began shivering in fear. "I-I can't stand this!" she said. "I-I don't want to be stuck in here with you stinky people!"

"Wait!" Hina cried. "But what about food? I'm so hungry right now!"

"Oh, don't worry too much," Monokuma assured. "We have an abundant budget, so essential amenities shouldn't be a concern. You guys also have a doctor in the building, so if you get injured, you know who to go to!"

Yasuke let out an annoyed groan. "Why don't you get a better doctor?" he asked. "I'm a neurologist, not a general doctor."

"Come on," Junko said. "Even if you're not a general doctor, you're still a doctor. We even call you doctor several times before."

Yasuke didn't respond.

There are still some concerns left unaddressed, however. Some students tried to bring them up.

"Wait, what about the outside world?" Mondo asked. "Don't we have family outside? They're probably worried about us!"

Monokuma let out a brief, sinister laugh. "Well, corn head," he said. "For your information, you are completely cut off from the outside world."

Mondo grew offended by what Monokuma called him. "Don't you dare call me that!" he shouted as he shook his fist in front of Monokuma.

Makoto realized something. "Wait, so those metal plates covering the windows..." he said. "They're there to keep us trapped in? There's there to keep us from the outside world and the outside world from us?"

"That's what they're there for!" Monokuma replied. "Try to yell and scream for help all you want. No matter how much you try, help will never come."

"Y-you!" Mondo shouted, growing even more furious.

"How unfortunate," Celeste lamented. "How will my knight come if I can't call him in?"

"Your knight will never come," Byakuya said. "Because there are no knights around in the world. We're not in the medieval times anymore, got it?"

"And now, before I close this opening ceremony, there is one thing that I must talk about," Monokuma said. "I know that some of you are freaking out right now. You must be thinking, 'I want to get out of here'. 'I don't want to be in this place anymore'. 'I want to see my family again'. I understand that. After all, not everyone functions well in a confined space. I guess this is time for me to tell you this. There is one way for you to leave the school."

"Oh yeah?" Natsumi asked. "And what's that?"

Monokuma let out another sinister laugh. "As the headmaster of this school, it is up to me to decide how you'll get to leave this school," he said. "I call this the Graduation Clause. Now, recall how I told all of you guys how to live in this school. As long as you guys live in harmony, nothing bad will ever happen to you. But if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone will get to leave this school. That is the Graduation Clause!"

The vague wording left everyone confused.

"What do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony'?" Byakuya asked. "I'm not planning to live in harmony with those commoners."

"Phuhuhu," Monokuma laughed. "Oh, you know. Murdering someone."

Everyone was absolutely shocked when they heard it. To hear the word "murder" be thrown around so casually is disgusting.

"M-Murder?" Makoto gasped.

"We have to kill someone?" Sayaka cried.

"N-No way," Mondo said as his anger continued to grow. "Are you shitting me?!"

"This is madness!" Yasuke shouted. "You can't drop that so casually! Murdering someone...talking somebody's life away...it's wrong on so many levels!"

"What? Are you trying to defy me?" Monokuma asked. "Phuhuhu, how cute. You guys are trying to take a stand against me. After all, that's how revolutions happen. The people get too angry, and they take down the system that oppresses them. Well, listen up! This is your reality now! There's only one way to escape this school: you must end the life of one of your fellow students. I don't care how you do it. Stabbing, bludgeoning, slashing, strangling, poisoning, drowning, anything goes. As long as you end someone's life, you may have a chance at escaping this school. Now accept your reality now, or else you won't survive! Don't you dare try to defy me. It won't end well for you!"

Everyone was stunned into silence. They can't believe that they're playing this cruel game of life and death. Well, everyone except for Mondo. His fists are shaking in anger. His rage has reached a breaking point.

"You bastard," Mondo said.

"Eh?" Monokuma reacted. "What did you just call me?"

Mondo suddenly ran up to Monokuma, rage burning in his eyes. "YOU BASTARD!" he roared.

"Owada!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Stop!"

Mondo picked up Monokuma by he neck, much to the shock of everyone. They could sense something bad coming up. Everyone grew worried about Mondo.

"I'm not gonna play this stupid game!" Mondo declared. "Killing someone...ending someone's life...I refuse to do any of those shitty things! Even if I get to escape this place, I refuse to sacrifice anyone! You've taken me far enough, you shitty bear. I'll rip you into shreds!" He began punching Monokuma senselessly.

"Owada!" Yasuke shouted. "Drop Monokuma down! He's dangerous! He just warned us to not defy him. Who knows what he can do to us if we try to defy him!"

"Ha! That poor biker gang leader let his rage control him," Natsumi laughed in mockery. "What a poor coward!"

"You're not helping!" Kiyotaka shouted.

Mondo then stopped punching Monokuma, He then brought the bear right to his face. "Take that, you stupid bear!" he shouted. "That's what you get for mocking me!"

Monokuma didn't react to what Mondo said.

"What's that?" Mondo asked. "Don't have any last words to say? I'm going to rip you apart if you open your goddamn mouth one more time!" He lifted his fist up one more time, ready to punch Monokuma again.

Suddenly, Monokuma's red eye started flashing. "YOU HAVE VIOLATED A SCHOOL REGULATION," he said in a more robotic tone. His limbs wave back and forth. "VIOLENCE AGAINST THE HEADMASTER IS PROHIBITED. PREPARING EXECUTION." It then started beeping.

"Huh? Why are you beeping?" Mondo asked. There was no response from Monokuma. "Why are you beeping?" Still no response. "WHY ARE YOU BEEPING?!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Kyoko started speaking. "Watch out!" she shouted. "It's a bomb!"

As soon as Kyoko warned everyone that a bomb is about to detonate, everyone started panicking. Sayaka threw herself on top of Makoto, bringing both of them down to the floor.

"Naegi!" Sayaka cried. "Protect me!"

"Huh? Maizono?" Makoto asked. "What are you-"

"Hang in there, Maizono!" Leon shouted as he prepared to throw himself on top of Sayaka. "I'll protect-"

"Just throw it!" Kyoko shouted at Mondo.

Leon tripped and fell before he could reach Makoto and Sayaka.

"Huh?" Mondo said as he looked away from Monokuma. The beeping sounds become much more rapid, as if the bomb inside is about to explode. Mondo remains oblivious to this, though. "Why do you want me to-"

"Now!" Kyoko ordered.

Mondo looked back at Monokuma and finally realized that the bear is about to explode in his hands. If he's caught within the explosion, he will certainly die. With his life on the line, Mondo threw Monokuma high into the air, safely escaping the blast radius. Monokuma then exploded into a fireball high above everyone. The loud sound made everyone's ears ring, but at least nobody is harmed.

"Phew," Kyoko said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Never been this worked up before."

"I-Is that the punishment for breaking the rules?" Hina asked. "H-How is that a punishment? That's not a punishment. It's...wrong on so many levels."

Mondo was stunned when he realized that he threw a bomb. "Jeez!" he said. "That scared the shit outta me! What kind of stuffed bear does that?"

"Wow, you almost got yourself blown up," Natsumi said. "That's so funny!" She then laughed in mockery of Mondo, only to be stopped by Kiyotaka.

"Knock it off!" Kiyotaka shouted. "It's not funny! I'm having a rough enough time in here already!"

"Aw," Junko groaned. "He exploded. I wanted to keep him. He looks so cute."

"You've made a big mistake, Owada," Hiro said. "You could've gotten yourself killed right there! As punishment for your mistake, I'm going to give you a fortune you won't like! You're going to lose a loved one!"

Mondo said nothing but a pained grunt.

"Enough of your stupid predictions," Natsumi said, talking to Hiro. "It's not like any of your predictions are going to come true."

"Shut up!" Hiro countered. "My predictions are true 30% of the time, every time!"

"That makes zero sense!" Natsumi shouted back.

Byakuya facepalmed at the nonsense statement. He let out a heavy sigh. "When will you ordinaries learn to grow up?" he questioned.

"So, that bear's gone," Yasuke remarked. "Great. Are we free now? Can we go home?"

"I'm not gone!" Monokuma shouted as he reappeared on the stage. "And I'm also not just a teddy bear!"

"Gah!" Hiro shrieked again. "He's back!"

"What the hell?" Mondo said. "I thought I've gotten rid of you!"

"What? You thought there was just one of me, don't you?" Monokuma said. "Oh, you're wrong. You're so wrong! I have placed countless Monokuma units around the school, so I'm always around no matter where you go! Plus, there all the cameras that are placed around the school. You cannot escape my eyes!"

Everyone started to become nervous of the notion that Monokuma could be anywhere, waiting to pop up. They became caution about violating any rules from now on, or else they might suffer the same fate that Mondo nearly avoided.

Monokuma turned around and faced Mondo. "You've been a naughty one, corn head," he said, inciting anger in Mondo again. "How many times do I have to see this? You nearly got executed because you broke a rule. You may have dodged a bullet this time, but the next time you violate a rule there will be no escaping it! Same goes for all of you!"

"Wait, what do you mean rules?" Leon asked. "You never told us what the rules are!"

Monokuma realized that he hasn't mentioned the rules yet. "I completely forgot about that one," he said. "How many times do I have to miss this part? Anyways, let me give you a list of rules and regulations for your mutual school life. Notifications!" He then clapped his paws.

Everyone suddenly felt a rumble in their pocket. They reached into them and pulled out an electronic device bearing the Hope's Peak Academy symbol.

"Wow," Sayaka said as her eyes beamed at the screen. "What is this?"

"Is this a phone?" Makoto asked as he inspected the device. "It sure looks and feels like one."

"That is the Electronic Handbook, E-Handbook for short," Monokuma explained. "These incredible devices are designed and developed by Hope's Peak Academy itself! Every student and staff in Hope's Peak Academy are provided one when they enter. The E-Handbooks have many useful functions! It keeps track of your assignments! It helps connect you with your classmates and teachers! It even has all the functionality of your typical smartphone. Unfortunately, we're in a difficult situation right now, so all of those functions have been disabled. Aside from those functions, the E-Handbook is designed to last, unlike those commercial smartphones. It is completely waterproof! It is very resilient! Its battery can hold its charge for days without recharging! It's truly a device of miracles. It's a shame that it's not publicly available."

It's almost like Monokuma was doing an advert on the E-Handbook, telling the viewers about all its amazing functions and properties. If only the E-Handbook was commercially available instead of being restricted to those attending and working at Hope's Peak Academy.

"Now with that out of the way, time to view the rules of your life in Hope's Peak Academy," Monokuma said. "Everyone, turn on your E-Handbook and open the Rules and Regulations tab."

Not everyone find it easy to trust Monokuma, but they still followed his directions. They turned on their E-Handbooks. On start up, the E-Handbooks first display the owner's name before opening up the home page. This is probably to verify that the holder has the right E-Handbook. There are several tabs to be found, none of which is available except for the Rules and Regulations. Everyone tapped on the tab and began reading the list of rules.

* * *

List of Rules and Regulations:

  1. Students may only reside within the school. Leaving the campus is an unacceptable use of time.
  2. The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am (22:00-07:00). Some areas are off-limits at night.
  3. Sleeping is only permitted in the dormitory. Sleeping anywhere else will be seen as sleeping in class.
  4. With some restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
  5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
  6. Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
  7. Stealing or lending personal belongings is, once again, strictly prohibited.
  8. Violating any of the above rules will result in immediate punishment. No exceptions.
  9. Anyone who kills a student becomes the "blackened". Blackened students may graduate the school, unless they are discovered.
  10. Additional rules may be added when necessary.



* * *

The rules doesn't seem even remotely promising. The students aren't allowed the leave the school unless they can kill someone and get away with it? They can't sleep outside of the dormitory? They can't harm either Monokuma or the cameras or the monitors? There's something about those rules that are incredibly worrying. As if things couldn't get any worse, more rules could be added over time, possibly restricting what the students could do. This is not the school life everyone was expecting from Hope's Peak Academy.

"W-What are these rules?" Makoto asked. "How are we supposed to live with them?"

"Ha! Do you really think I will follow those rules?" Natsumi said. "No. Way!"

"No, no, no!" Monokuma said as he wagged his "finger". Well, it's more like he's waving his arm. "Don't you date violate any of the listed rules, or else you'll face punishment like this corn head right there."

"Call me that one more time..." Mondo said as he shook his fist at Monokuma. Knowing the consequences, he couldn't bring himself to punch Monokuma, even if the bear greatly irritated him.

"You have bad tastes in hairdo," Monokuma commented on Mondo. "You should consider getting yourself an actual hair designer."

The amount of times Monokuma made fun of Mondo is starting to get infuriating. Mondo continued to struggle against punching Monokuma. He doesn't want to die because of his own mistakes again.

"Now then, with all of that out of the way, let your communal school life begin!" Monokuma declared. "Please enjoy your school life! See ya!"

And then, Monokuma disappeared. As soon as he disappeared, the entire gym fell into stunned silence.

"So...how would you guys explain what we just experienced?" Kiyotaka explained.

Hina is shaking nervously. "W-We're supposed to live in here...until we die?" she asked.

"I don't know," Leon replied. "It's just...I don't understand what the hell is going on."

Hifumi began cowering in fear. "I don't wanna die!" he cried. "I don't wanna get killed!"

"I-I don't know if I'm going to survive this," Junko said. She then cried into Yasuke. "Yasuke! Protect me! I don't want to die! I want to live!"

Yasuke rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Junko," he said. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Why are you so causal about this?" Hiro shouted. "It is a big deal! We're stuck in here for the rest of our lives! We have to kill each other if we want to escape!"

"This is...not the type of game I wanna play," Mondo said as he shook his fist. "I...wanna tear that bear to shreds but...I can't..."

"Everyone, calm down," Kyoko finally said. "It's best if we assess our current situation. Based on what Monokuma had told us, we have two options. Option one: we live a communal life in this until the day we die. We'll be completely isolated from the outside world if we choose this. If we choose this, we'll end up falling into a slow, painful death, unable to escape this school. That doesn't seem like a pleasant option. But our second option isn't much better."

"If we want to escape this school, we have to kill someone, correct?" Celeste asked.

Kyoko recalled what Monokuma said earlier, as well as the rules. "If we pick that option instead, we will be faced with a difficult situation," she said. "Who will we sacrifice in order to get out of here? Even if we kill someone, graduation is not guarantee. If we fail to get away with murder, it's over for us."

Kiyotaka is starting to lose his mind. "This has to be fake," he claimed. "This all has to be fake! Everything we've heard must be a lie. There's no way what this is real!"

"Look, it doesn't matter if all of this is real or not," Yasuke said. "All that matters is...who's going to take the chance? We have two options. We either spend the rest of our lives stuck in this school, or we kill someone to try to escape. Both options are not pleasant ones. But we don't have any other choice. Eventually, someone will snap and will try to kill. The question is, who will be the first one to fall?"

Nobody said anything in response. They all stare at each other, wondering which one of them is going to snap first. It's a horrible situation to be in. They are 16 students of Hope's Peak Academy, doomed to waste away within the walls of this school. Until someone is killed, no one gets to leave. It's something that makes everyone wonder, "Is someone going to betray us? Are they going to snap and kill someone to try to escape?" An oppressive, suspenseful air hangs around everyone.

It was at this point where someone realized that Hope's Peak Academy isn't the hope filled school they once thought off. Instead...it became a school of despair. Crippling, crushing despair.

* * *

**Prologue: The Return to Hope's Peak Academy**

**END**

**Current Survivors: 16**

* * *

**Day 1 - 9:00 AM**  
**Gym, First Floor**

"You must kill someone if you want to leave."

Those words were hammed into everyone's heads over and over again. It's maddening. Everyone fell into a trance as they repeated those words in their minds. It took the words of someone to snap everyone out of that trance.

"What are you all doing?" Kyoko asked. "Just standing around glaring at each other, repeating words in your head? You all need to focus."

"W-What should we focus on?" Hifumi asked nervously. "T-Trying to find a way to escape this place? We've been abducted by some group, and are forced against our will to betray each other. I...I can't...I can't stand this anymore!"

"Come on, haven't you heard what Monokuma said?" Junko said. "The only way to get out is to kill someone and get away with it. That's all."

"But if we're caught, who knows what punishment we'll face," Yasuke said.

Kyoko stared at the three people who talked. "That's not what I'm talking about," she said. "I know every single one of us is trapped in this place, but we must calm down and focus."

"I don't know if I agree with Kirigiri," Kiyotaka said. "But she's right. We must calm ourselves down. Even if we're nervous or stressed, we must remain calm and focus on the path forward. To forget this simple thought...it's just unforgivable! I can't believe I nearly forgot this. I'm so...ashamed of myself!" He then started tearing up. "Please! Someone! Punish me for my crimes!"

Yasuke stared at Kiyotaka and facepalmed. He shook his head in disapproval. "Why do you have to be like that?" he asked. "No answers, please."

"Dude, don't be too hard on yourself," Mondo said. "It's not like Monokuma is going to punish you for doing that."

"Says the person who nearly got himself exploded because he broke a rule," Natsumi remarked.

Mondo suddenly turned around and faced Natsumi. He had a furious look on his face. He lifted his fist to attempt to punch her, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"What's that?" Natsumi asked. "Couldn't bring yourself to hit me? What a shame. If you can't bring yourself to hit me, then you're a coward."

Mondo grew extremely frustrated over being mocked so many times. He felt like he could punch Natsumi in the face, but just can't do it. He lowered his fist in defeat. Natsumi then continued to mock Mondo, much to the annoyance of Kiyotaka.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students are having a discussion about what to do next. One group consisted of Makoto, Sayaka, Hina, Leon, and Sakura. They all talked to each other as they made their plans for the day.

"So, what is our mission, exactly?" Hina asked.

"Well, our mission is-" Leon began, but then he took a glance over and noticed Sayaka clinging to Makoto. "Hey, Maizono? Are you still clinging to Naegi?"

"Huh?" Sayaka said. She then looked at her arms and saw that they were still wrapped around Makoto. She let go of Makoto upon realizing this. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it!"

Makoto dusted off his arm. "How come I didn't notice it earlier?" he asked himself. "Anyways, how long were you clinging to me, Maizono?"

"She's been at this since Monokuma appeared," Sakura replied. "The two of them were close to each other when the opening ceremony began. When Monokuma appeared, I saw Maizono move up to Naegi and latched onto him."

"I really did that?" Sayaka asked. She then rubbed her arm, wondering what she's thinking at that moment.

"Aw, come on, Maizono," Leon said. "This is our first day in this school, and you've latched onto Naegi? Come on! Give me a chance! Let's hang out together! I'll be fun!"

Sayaka didn't say anything to Leon.

"We're getting off tract, guys," Hina reminded everyone. "As Kirigiri said earlier, we need to stay focus. Anyways, what were we talking about again? I kinda forget..."

Leon stomped his foot in frustration. "Idiot!" he shouted. "We were about to talk about our mission!"

Hina grew offended by what Leon called her. "Hey, don't call me an idiot!" she shouted back. "I may not look like it, but I'm way smarter than you think!"

"Hina, stop!" Sakura ordered, ending the brief fight. She then took a moment to calm down. "Let me state our mission. Our mission is to find a way out of this school. We must've been trapped in here by some mysterious group. So far, our only way out is to kill someone and get away with it. However, there must be another way out, a way that doesn't involve killing someone."

Sayaka raised her hand. "Um, I have a question," she said.

"What's your question?" Sakura replied.

"It's about one of the rules," Sayaka said. "Rule 9. I was wondering what it meant by killing someone and getting away with it. What does it really mean?"

Makoto pulled out his E-Handbook and checked the rules. "Rule 9," he read. "Anyone who kills a student becomes the 'blackened'. Blackened students may graduate the school, unless they are discovered." He pulled his eyes away from the screen. "I believe what it meant was, if one of us wants to graduate from this school, we have to kill someone without anyone else figuring out it was us."

"Okay," Sayaka said. "So...what happens if we're caught?"

Makoto sulks as he couldn't find the answer. "I don't know," he said. "There's not enough information in the rules. We might be unable to graduate if we're caught."

"Read the rules carefully," Sakura said. "Rule 8 says that if we violate any of the above rules, we'll be subjected to immediate punishment by Monokuma. Since Rule 9 is below that, we can safely assume that our punishment won't come immediately."

"But...what if we get punished immediately if anyone discovers that we committed a murder?" Hina asked.

"I cannot say that, for I lack information," Sakura said. "The only way to find out is to wait until someone commits a murder."

The group remained silent as they let what they've heard sink into their heads. During this period of silence, Celeste walked into the group.

"May I join in?" Celeste asked.

"Oh, hey Celeste," Makoto greeted. "Yeah, you can join in if you want. We don't mind."

"Good," Celeste said as she stepped in. She looked around at the group, wondering what they're thinking. "So, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, we're just trying to figure out a way to escape," Hina replied.

"Yeah!" Leon agreed. "We're going to escape this school! Don't you agree?"

Celeste thought about it and let out a laugh, placing her hand over her mouth. "Really?" she asked. "You're planning to get out of this school. How silly. I must say that we shouldn't escape this school."

"What?!" Hina gasped. "Why?"

"Are you saying that we shouldn't escape?" Leon asked. "Come on! What else are we going to do here?"

Celeste shook her head. "Instead of trying to find a way to escape, we could just spend the rest of our lives living peacefully in this school," she said. "It's our best option as of now."

Everyone else in the group stared at Celeste, wondering what she's trying to say.

"Um...what?" Sayaka reacted.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that?" Makoto asked. "I didn't catch what you said."

Celeste refused to repeat what she said. "The best thing we can do is adapt," she said. "Face it. Adapting is the best way to survive, because if you cannot adapt, you cannot survive. Survival is not about being the strongest, the smartest, or the fastest out of everyone. It all comes down to who is willing to adapt, and who can adapt well to the current situation."

Everyone was left scratching their heads. Nearly everything that Celeste talked about sounded confusing. What is she? An evolution expert? She doesn't seem like one. So what is she talking about survival of the adapting?

"Don't try to object to her," Sakura said. "Celeste's right. In nature, animals are faced with a constantly shifting environment. In order to survive, animals must adapt. Those who are able to adapt, and adapt well, are destined to survive. Those who refused to adapt, or adapt poorly, are destined to die. It's the same in martial arts. Every fight, I'm faced with a different opponent, with their own unique fighting style. If I use the same technique over and over again, I might win for the first few rounds but I will struggle later on as my opponents learn my moves and develop counters. If I constantly adapt my fighting style and strategy for every opponent, my opponents will struggle to keep up with me. It's because of my vast knowledge of martial arts and willingness to adapt to my opponent that makes me the Ultimate Martial Artist."

Hina's eyes sparkled when she heard Sakura say that. "Wow, Ogami!" she said. "You're so cool!"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said mockingly. "To adapt is to survive. We get that. But I don't wanna do that! I wanna get outta here!"

"Well, it's your grave," Celeste said. "You may survive in this school, but not for long. Now, can we talk about-"

The conversation was interrupted when everyone heard someone shout something.

"Hey!" Mondo shouted. "Where do you think you're going?"

The group turned around towards the source of the voice. They were shocked when they saw Mondo confronting Byakuya.

"I don't know what you're planning to do," Mondo said, "but I'm not letting you run and do whatever the hell you want!"

Byakuya leered at Mondo, not bothering to step around him. "You're standing in my way, plankton," he said.

Natsumi chuckled at the insult. "Plankton," she said as she continued to chuckle. "That's so clever."

Nearby Kiyotaka saw what Natsumi was laughing about and disapproved of it. He slapped her in the back as punishment. This sparked an argument between him and Natsumi.

Meanwhile, Mondo was stunned at the insult being thrown at him. "W-What the-?" he said. "Why'd you call me that? What's what supposed to mean?"

"One tiny bit of plankton drifting across the sea," Byakuya said. "So small and minuscule, so insignificant, it couldn't do anything on the endless ocean."

"I-I didn't get what you're talking about," Mondo said as he cracked his knuckles. "But...screw you! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Byakuya sneered at Mondo. "Go ahead," he taunted. "Try me."

Makoto looked at the two fights going on in the gym. There's the fight between Kiyotaka and Natsumi, and there's the fight that's about to happen between Byakuya and Mondo. So far, the fight between Kiyotaka and Natsumi is non-violent. They're just shouting words at each other. But the fight between Byakuya and Mondo...it looks more urgent. Mondo is about to go violent against Byakuya and potentially kill him. If there's a any bad feeling brewing within Makoto, is that Mondo is about to kill someone in front of everyone's eyes. This is something that he felt that he must prevent right now. Instinctively, he ran towards Byakuya and Mondo to try to break up the fight between them.

Sayaka watched as Makoto ran away from her. Instinctively, she reached out and attempted to stop him. "Makoto!" she cried. Then she realized that she made a mistake. "Wait...Naegi!" But her brief pause was enough for Leon to stop her.

"Whoa there, Maizono," Leon said. "Not so fast. At least he's gone. Now we can hang out together!"

"This isn't the time to do that!" Hina shouted. "Let Maizono go! Her friend's putting himself in danger!"

Makoto ran up to Byakuya and Mondo, trying to stop their fight. "H-Hold on you two," he said. "Let's not try to fight each other, okay?"

Byakuya and Mondo turn their attention to Makoto.

"...What are you doing here?" Byakuya asked. "This isn't a fight you should be a part of. Go. Away."

Makoto stomped his foot on the ground. "Stop it!" he begged. "We shouldn't fight! Let's get together and-"

Mondo cracked his fists as he faced Makoto. "What are you saying to me?" he asked. "Are you some goody-goody little bastard? What are you trying to be? You think you're my dad or something?"

Makoto panicked as his attempts to calm Mondo down are not working. "I wasn't trying to be like that," he said. "I'm only trying to-"

"SHUT UP!" Mondo roared as he punched Makoto.

"NO!" someone cried.

Mondo punched Makoto as hard has he can. Makoto watched as the fist moved closer to his face. He could sense great amount of pain coming from the punch, possibly enough to end his life. He blacked out right before the fist could make contact with his face. Right before he blacked out, though, Makoto felt a heavier impact coming from the side.


	3. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Daily Life 1)

**Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion  
**

**Daily Life**

* * *

**Day 1 - Unknown Time  
Unknown Location  
**

Trying to confront someone with anger issues was a mistake. Makoto should've known this. Mondo nearly died to his own anger. The fact that Monokuma just loves to insult Mondo didn't help. All that anger was built up to a point where one wrong action could make it explode, and Makoto did just that.

The punch must've knocked Makoto out badly. He remained unconscious for a long time. It took a while for him to regain consciousness. As he began to wake up, he could feel something pressing against his back. It's so soft and comfortable. He then barely opened his eyes and saw a bright light hovering over his head. It took Makoto a moment to register that he's laying down and staring at a ceiling.

"Ugh..."

Makoto soon found himself in a room. For some reason, it feels so familiar to him. He wondered where he is now. He took a look around the room to get an idea of where he is now. It didn't take long before he encountered a familiar face.

"Oh, you're finally awake," Sayaka said in relief. "I was wondering when you'll wake up."

Makoto launched himself into an upright position in a panic. "M-Maizono?!" he gasped. It was then he realized that he's laying on a bed.

"Hey, don't freak out," Sayaka said. "It's just me."

Makoto calmed himself down, taking a few deep breaths. He then looked around the room looking confused. "Where am I?" he asked. "What is this place? Am I still in Hope's Peak Academy?"

"This is your room," Sayaka replied.

"Huh? My room?" Makoto reacted.

"We all get ourselves a room," Sayaka explained. "It's a place for us to stay for the night. We even get ourselves our own bathroom."

"So, this is the dormitory?" Makoto asked. "Is this the only place we can sleep?"

"Yep," Sayaka replied. "According to the rules, we have to sleep in our dorm rooms. If we sleep anywhere else, we will be punished."

Makoto took a look around his dorm room. It's rather spacious. He should expect something like this in the most prestigious school in the world. There's a desk next to his bed, as well as some drawers. There's also a large shelf and table on the opposite side. Behind Sayaka is a door, presumably to the bathroom. Further beyond the bathroom door is another door. It likely leads to the hallways. Makoto is amazed at what is being offered in the dorm rooms of Hope's Peak. However, there's one thing that still puzzled him.

"How did I get here?" Makoto asked. "Las time I remembered, I was in the gym with everyone else. And, where did everyone go? And, what are you doing here, Maizono?"

"Oh?" Sayaka replied. She took a few moments before continuing. "Well, it's a bit of a long story."

* * *

**Day 1 - 9:20 AM**   
**Gym, First Floor**

Sayaka watched as Mondo began to punch Makoto. Leon is trying his best to stop her, but she fought against him. She soon freed herself from Leon's grasp and ran towards Makoto.

"No!" Sayaka cried as she jumped towards Makoto.

Sayaka tackled Makoto from the side and pulled him into a tight hug. She shoved Makoto out of the way of Mondo's punch at the last moment. Mondo saw that he was about to punch a girl, and tried to stop himself. But it was too late. As Sayaka brought Makoto with her to the floor, Mondo stumbled and fell on the floor. Sayaka and Makoto landed on the floor nearby, sliding to a stop.

Byakuya stared at Mondo and shook his head in disapproval. "You've made a big mistake, plankton," he said. "You won't last long in this game." He then continued to walk away towards the exit.

Natsumi continued to mock Mondo for his failures. "Ha! You couldn't even bring yourself to punch someone," she said. "I knew you were a coward!"

"I-It was a girl!" Mondo tried to explain. "I-I almost punched a girl. That blue haired chick just...came in at the last second."

"What? Are you talking about that idol?" Natsumi asked. She was about to say something, but was interrupted by Kiyotaka yet again.

"Would you please cut it out already?!" Kiyotaka shouted in frustration. "Enough with this behavior! I won't tolerate your behavior any longer!"

"Guys, stop this," Yasuke ordered. "We need to check on Naegi now. He must've been hurt."

The rest of the students turn around and look at Sayaka and Makoto. Sayaka lifted herself up from Makoto. It looked like she's crying.

"Makoto? Are you okay?" Sayaka cried. She was so distraught over her friend that she didn't noticed the slip-up she made. "Makoto, answer me! Makoto!"

But Makoto didn't respond, no matter how hard Sayaka tried.

"Hold on!" Yasuke shouted. "Let me take a look at Naegi! I need to get an analysis of his injures. Maizono, please get off him. You're getting in my way."

"No!" Sayaka cried as she clung to the unconscious Makoto. "I won't let you do that!"

Yasuke sighed as Sayaka became stubborn. "Okay, fine," he said. "I won't make you get off Naegi. Just work with me as everything will be fine. Got it?" He then began inspecting Makoto, with Sayaka helping out.

The others took notice of how...intense Sayaka was reacting when she saw Makoto in danger.

"...Is that the real Maizono?" Leon asked. He then shook his head in disbelief. "No, that can't be right. That can't be the real Maizono. The real Maizono would never to that, right?

"You'll be surprised how different people are underneath a mask," Celeste said. "They may present themselves as one thing, only to turn out to be someone completely different. That Sayaka... She might present herself as a cheerful idol who enjoys what she does. But underneath that smile, she's a troubled person. She's experienced a lot in her life that made her the way she is."

"Hey! Don't you dare speak of Maizono badly!" Leon shouted. "There's no way that Maizono is like that at all!"

"D-Did Maizono just...call Naegi by his first name?" Hina asked. "She didn't call him that before, did she? I kinda forget."

It was at this moment that Yasuke revealed something surprising to everyone.

"He's fine!" Yasuke announced. "Naegi's fine! He has no injuries anywhere. He just blacked out."

"Wait...Naegi's fine?" Hina reacted. She couldn't believe it at first. From what she saw, it looked like Mondo barely landed a punch on Makoto before Sayaka shoved him away. Did it not happen that way? Did she misremember it?

Suddenly, Monokuma appeared. "Well, that was a close call," he said. "Someone could've died right there."

Everyone panicked when Monokuma appeared. They didn't expect to see him here.

"You!" Mondo growled at Monokuma.

Monokuma walked up to Mondo and stared at him in the face. "You've dodged a bullet a second time, corn head," he said, angering Mondo once more. "You nearly killed someone in front of witnesses. If that happens, I have no choice but to execute you immediately since, you know, you killed someone plain sight. A murder in plain sight is no fun, as everyone would know the killer the instant the murder happened. Well, you wasted your close calls, corn head! You won't survive your third close call!"

Mondo pounded against the floor in anger. He can't believe that he's called a corn head again by that bear. He wanted to punch that bear so badly, but can't. He knows the consequences, and he isn't willing to repeat his mistakes.

"Now, everyone," Monokuma said. "Let me clarify this. You can't just murder anyone anytime. If you want to get away with murder, you have to be smart about it. Because if you don't, you won't get to graduate. Oh, and by the way. About the 'no sleeping outside of dormitories' rule? That only applies if you willingly sleep anywhere outside the dormitory. If you chose to sleep outside the dormitory, you will get punished. But if someone forces you to fall asleep, then it doesn't count. You won't get punished. In this case, it's all Maizono's fault! She tackled her precious Naegi so hard that he blacked out."

Sayaka had a feeling that it might be her fault that Makoto became unconscious. She clung to his body even tighter.

"What are you talking about?" Leon shouted. "It must be Owada's fault! He must've punched Naegi so hard that he blacked out. Isn't that right, Owada?"

Mondo shook his head. "No...it wasn't me," he said. "Maizono...she jumped in my way at the last second. I...didn't even tough Naegi..."

"See?" Monokuma said. "That's exactly what happened. Now that I've cleared up some stuff, bye everyone!" He then disappeared.

The entire room fell into silence as soon as Monokuma vanished. It took a few moments before anyone said anything.

"So...what do we do now?" Hina asked. "Naegi has gone unconscious. What should we do with him?"

"We should take him into the medical room," Sakura suggested. "Naegi needs time to heal."

"No, no, no," Yasuke said. "Don't take Naegi there. He's fine. There's nothing wrong with him. Plus, I have some work to do in the infirmary. I can't focus if there's someone else in the room with me."

"Then why don't we take him to the dormitory?" Sakura suggested instead. "We just heard that there is one. Perhaps there's a room we could use."

"Sounds like a great idea," Yasuke said. "Alright, go ahead. Pick Naegi up. I'll be off to do my own thing." He then walked out of the gym.

"Hey! Yasuke!" Junko shouted as she chased after Yasuke. "Wait for me!"

After Yasuke and Junko left the gym, Sakura got to work in carrying Makoto to a dorm room.

"Maizono, please get off Naegi," Sakura ordered. "I need to carry him."

Sayaka began to panic again. "Wait, don't do that!" she cried. "I-I can carry him to a dorm room. Here, let me do it." She then got up and attempted to lift Makoto up. She could barely stand up straight. Makoto is really pulling down on her.

Sakura watched as Sayaka fruitlessly tried to lift Makoto up. She couldn't help but shake her head in disapproval. She stepped in to lift Makoto and carry him away. Sayaka stumbled backwards as Sakura took Makoto away.

"Hey! Wait!" Sayaka cried as she got up and chased after Sakura.

"Maizono!" Leon shouted. "Wait for me!" He then chased after Sayaka, followed up by Hina.

* * *

**Day 1 - 9:55 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Sakura leads the way as she carried Makoto with her. Behind her, Sayaka, Leon, and Hina are walking as well. They walked down the hallway and into the dormitory. As they're walking, the trio at the back decided to start a conversation.

"Man, Maizono," Leon began. "It's been a pleasure to have you as my classmate!"

Sayaka whined and looked in the other direction, away from Leon.

"Having an idol as my classmate has been a dream of mine!" Leon continued. "Ooh, this is so exciting. Hey, I'm thinking of joining the music industry myself. It's going to be easy!"

Sayaka cringed after hearing that Leon wants to become a musician. She cringed even more after he said that the music industry was easy.

"Why do you want to join the music industry?" Hina asked in concern. "Aren't you a baseball star? You're already good at sports, so why do you want to switch industries?"

"Oh, I don't know," Leon replied.

Hina growled in anger. She sees Leon having little reason to switch industries as a bad sign. If he has no reason to switch, then why bother? Leon's paying a bit too much attention to Sayaka, an idol. If he wants to get a girl, when why couldn't he go for another athlete like herself? Hina wondered why Leon even bothered with this.

Sakura then reached the dormitory rooms. Each dorm room has a nameplate on it, signifying its owner. She found a nameplate with Makoto's name on it. She stopped there.

"Here we are," Sakura said. "This must be Naegi's room."

The group stopped in front of the door. While they're stopped, the others took a moment to look around, searching for their own rooms.

Sayaka found her nameplate at the door next to Makoto's room. "Hey, I think that's my room," she said. "I'm right next door to Naegi!"

Leon dropped his jaw in shock. "What? Seriously?" he complained. "Why couldn't you be my neighbor?"

Hina pulled out her E-Handbook and checked the map. "Oh look," she said. "My room's just down the hallway. Sweet! I'm going there right now!" She then ran off to her dorm room.

Leon was disappointed that he didn't get Sayaka as his neighbor. He wondered where his room is. "Where's my room?" he asked. "Does anyone know?"

"We can worry about that later," Sakura replied. "For now, I need to set Naegi down on his bed."

"How are we supposed to get in his room?" Leon asked as he threw his arms up. "That door's closed. That means that it must be locked, right?"

Sayaka reached out and grabbed the doorknob. To everyone's surprise, the door opened up.

"Apparently not..." Sayaka remarked.

Sakura walked into the room and spotted a bed. She walked up to it and set Makoto down. "There, he should be fine for now," she said. "But someone needs to watch over him."

"Wait...someone needs to watch over Naegi?" Leon asked. "Oh no. Please, Maizono. Don't say that you're going to watch over Naegi! Instead of doing that, why don't we spend some time together and-"

"I'm going to watch over Naegi," Sayaka declared.

Leon stomped his foot in frustration. "Come on!" he yelled.

"Well, that does it," Sakura said. "We'd better get going and explore this school. Come on, Kuwata. Let's go." She then walked out of the room.

Leon remained in the room for a little longer. "Come on, Maizono," he said. "I know you want to watch over Naegi, but don't you think you could use a little help? Here, let me lend a hand." He attempted to walk towards Sayaka, but then Sakura gabbed him by the collar and dragged him out.

Sayaka was now alone in the room with an unconscious Makoto. She pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. She became worried over the next several hours, wondering when Makoto will ever wake up.

Partway through her wait, Sayaka noticed a room key on the table. She took a moment to take a look at it. The key has Makoto's name on it. It must be his. Sayaka then wondered if everyone else got themselves their own room key. She exited the room for a brief moment and went into her room. She returned holding her own room key. After doing that, she returned to the chair and sat down next to the bed. She waited a long time before Makoto woke up.

* * *

**Day 1 - Unknown Time  
Dormitory, First Floor**

"So that's what happened," Makoto commented after hearing Sayaka's story. "Huh. I thought I was punched in the face. I must've blacked out before the punch landed. That, or I blacked out when you tackled me."

"Yeah, that's kind of my fault," Sayaka replied. "I'm sorry for doing that."

"It's okay," Makoto assured. "I'm not hurt."

Sayaka was relieved to see that her friend was fine. Still, there is something that she wanted to say to Makoto. She looked down and rubbed her belly. Her stomach was empty.

"Say, Naegi?" Sayaka said. "Do you mind if we go to the dining room? Sorry, I haven't eaten anything in a while. There's also something that I really want to talk about."

Makoto got off his bed. He looked aside at Sayaka. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked. "I'm hungry too, so I don't mind talking over... Hmm, what time is it again?"

"I don't know," Sayaka replied. "I kind of lost track of time. But you were out for a really long time. I was so worried that you might've died."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka shook her head, clearing her mind of her thoughts. "Never mind," she said. "I shouldn't be saying those kinds of things. How about we get going now?"

"Sure," Makoto replied. He then began walking towards the door.

"Oh, by the way?" Sayaka said. "You forgot something."

Makoto stopped in place and turned around. "I forgot what?" he asked.

Sayaka pointed to the table where a room key sits. Makoto walked up to it. "There, that's your room key," Sayaka said. "We all got our own room keys. I was going to sneak that into your pocket while you're asleep, but then I'm worried about breaking one of the rules. You know, the rule about not stealing someone's belongings. I think that applies to your room key, so I left it there for you."

Makoto picked up his room key and inspected it. He could see his own name etched into it. This must be an important thing to keep, he thought. He then put the room key into his pocket.

"Make sure you locked your room door when you exit," Sayaka said. "We don't want the others snooping into our rooms while we're away. Don't worry about me. I already locked my door."

"Is that all?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yep," she replied. "Alright then. Let's go."

Makoto and Sayaka then left for the dining room. Makoto made sure to lock his door before leaving.

* * *

**Day 1 - 7:20 PM**   
**Dining Hall, First Floor**

Sayaka is currently in the kitchen preparing some food for her and Makoto. While she's cooking, Makoto took a look at the clock on the wall. He saw that the clock hands have moved backwards since the last time he saw them.

"Seriously?!" Makoto gasped upon seeing the clock. "It's that late already?!"

Sayaka came out of the kitchen holding two bowls and some chopsticks. "Oh, did you look at the time?" she asked. "Yeah, you were unconscious for a pretty long time. I'm surprised as well to see that you were out for that long."

"If only we could take a look outside," Makoto groaned. "All the windows are blocked by those metal plates. Without being able to look outside, we could lose our sense of time."

"Yeah, I feel disoriented," Sayaka replied. "But anyways, here's your food." She placed the bowls on the table. Makoto took a look at them and saw that there was just rice in the bowl. "Sorry if it's not much. I promise that I'll give you more food next time."

Makoto quickly looked at Sayaka. "Hey, I was thinking the same thing," he said. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Like I said, I'm psychic," Sayaka replied.

Makoto stared at Sayaka for a few seconds. He can't believe he fell for that one again.

Sayaka then giggled. "I'm just kidding!" she said. "It's just my intuition again." She then sat down at the table right next to Makoto. "Anyways, how about we eat for a moment? Everyone else is outside exploring the school. I'm sure they'll come here eventually."

Makoto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sure," he said.

Makoto and Sayaka proceeded to eat their food. It might not be filling, but at least it'll last them for a while. As they ate, Makoto began thinking about his current situation. Sure, he and the rest of his classmates are stuck in this school unless somebody murders someone, but at least he's having an okay time.

Makoto looked off to the side and see Sayaka getting a bit comfortable with sitting next to him. He can't believe that he's really doing this at first, but he's hanging out with an idol. Normally, when a person meets an idol, they usually become so excited that they lost their minds. They might be unable to hold a normal conversation. Makoto is not acting like those people. He held a pretty normal conversation with Sayaka without completely losing his mind. He's also eating with her. It's like he's fulfilling many dreams at once. Boys like him dream of hanging out with Sayaka. Makoto can't believe that he's really doing this

Suddenly, Sayaka began giggling for no apparent reason.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka suddenly stopped giggling as she looked back at Makoto. "Oh," she replied. "Um...never mind. You already know that it's just my intuition, correct?"

Here she goes again, using her supposed psychic abilities.

Makoto and Sayaka continued to eat their food until the bowls are empty. Afterwards, they waited for everyone else to come in. It's taking everyone a while, so Sayaka decided to start a conversation.

"Um...Naegi?" Sayaka began. Her cheeks are starting to become a rose color. "I know that this is continuing with our introduction, but there's something that I really wanted to ask you."

"Oh yeah," Makoto realized. "I almost forgot. Maizono, how did you remember me?"

Sayaka was surprised that Makoto decided to ask first. Still, she continued the conversation.

"Naegi, did you remember Black Root Middle School?" Sayaka asked. "You know, one of our old schools."

"Yeah, I remember going there," Makoto replied.

"Ah! You did go there!" Sayaka said in a cheerful tone.

Makoto began to nervously laughed as his cheeks became red. "Yeah, those were the old days," he said. "I remembered seeing you in the hallways surrounded by your fans. I shouldn't be surprised that I remembered you, but how did you remember me?"

"We went to the same school for three years," Sayaka replied. "Of course I remembered you!"

"Yeah, but still," Makoto replied. "I'm a totally average student back then. There's no way that a superstar like you would remember an ordinary guy like me."

Sayaka had a puzzled look on her face. "Average? Ordinary?" she said. "What are you talking about? You're not ordinary! You're special!"

"I am?" Makoto asked, pointing to himself. He looked confused.

"Wait, maybe I shouldn't have phrased it like that," Sayaka said. "Um...Naegi, there is something you did that makes you look special compared to everyone else."

"Special?" Makoto questioned. "What you do mean special? What did I do?"

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to say it," Sayaka said. "But you did something that makes me want to talk to you. I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you ever since that moment. But no matter how hard I tried, we never got that moment together. I was about to give up oh my wish to meet you, and then Hope's Peak Academy reunited us. When that happened, I felt like I've experienced the best day of my life."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

"Yes, really," Sayaka replied. "You know, I'm glad that I met you, Naegi. It's a relief that there's someone here that I know. Thanks to you, I feel a lot better." She then leaned over to Makoto and rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel like I could just stay here and be with you, just a little longer."

Makoto began to blush intensely as Sayaka rested on his shoulder. He wondered if he should be worried. This is an idol doing something...intimate with him. If she's caught doing this with him, who knows what will happen to her career. He better make sure no one is watching. This could create problems.

Suddenly the doors to the dining room open, and in comes Kiyotaka.

"Alright, I'm here," Kiyotaka said. "Good. Time to set up the-" He stopped himself when he saw Makoto and Sayaka together.

Makoto looked toward the door. "Oh, hey Ishimaru," he greeted.

Sayaka suddenly became alert and lifted her head off of Makoto. "Ah!" she yelped. She then looked toward the door. "Oh, it's you, Ishimaru. Um...sorry if I did something...in front of your eyes. I didn't mean to do that."

But Kiyotaka wasn't angry because he caught his classmate doing an intimate act. He was angry because he thought he was late. "Aw man! There's two people already here?!" he shouted. "I should've been faster! I need to build more fighting spirit. Then I could get here first!"

Makoto stood up and walked up to Kiyotaka. "Hey, there's no need to be hard on yourself, Ishimaru," he said. "Maizono and I just decided to come here early. That's all. You're not late."

Kiyotaka let out a sigh. "Well, since you two are here, why don't you help me set up our first meeting?" he asked. "It looks like you two could do something to pass the time."

* * *

**Day 1 - 8:08 PM**   
**Dining Room, First Floor**

"Natsumi, you're here," Kiyotaka said as he looked down the list. He then found that someone is absent. "Not again. Kirigiri, where are you? You're late again!"

Most of the students have arrived at the dining room. Most of them sat down at the big central table, while some such as Byakuya sat down at one of the side tables. Kiyotaka stands at one end of the central table, currently doing attendance. Makoto and Sayaka are sitting near Kiyotaka. Right next to Sayaka is Leon. The rest are sitting wherever they please.

"Just cut Kirigiri some slack," Junko said. "She just prefers to do her own thing."

"If that Kyoko really does prefer to do her own thing, then how do you explain this?" Celeste asked. "That scion and the doctor prefer to do their own thing. Why are they here and not Kyoko?"

"Look, I'm bored," Yasuke said. "I've done my job. There's nothing left for me to do."

Byakuya refused to say anything.

Kiyotaka then decided to ignore Kyoko for now. "Fine! Forget doing attendance!" he said. "Let's start this meeting right now! Don't worry about Kirigiri. I'm sure she'll be fine. Anyways, everyone. Report your findings! Except for you two, Naegi and Maizono. You two didn't really do much."

The rest of the students reported what they've found while exploring the school. Here's a list of what they've managed to find.

  1. Everyone is assigned a dorm room and a corresponding room key. This is where they'll be sleeping for the night.
  2. Each room key is handcrafted and designed to only work with a single lock. They're difficult to replace, so the students must not lose them.
  3. Every lock is resilient against tampering.
  4. The walls of the dorm rooms are soundproof, except for the wall facing the hallway.
  5. The water is shut off during nighttime.
  6. There's a trash room in the living area of the building. Within the trash room is an incinerator.
  7. The metal plates covering the windows are extremely strong and tough. The bolts keeping the plates in place are also tough.
  8. There's a gate blocking the way to the stairs.
  9. One of the students attempted to break down a lock door. Monokuma intervened to stop this student, and added an additional rule.
  10. The food is restocked every day.



This quickly got boring for some of the students. They wish that they're doing something instead of just exchanging information.

Leon wondered if Sayaka is available to talk. He leaned up to her and whispered into her ear.

"Hey, Maizono?" Leon asked.

"Ah!" Sayaka shrieked. She then looked at Leon. "Hey, don't scare me like that!"

"Kuwata!" Kiyotaka scolded. "Don't distract yourself! Pay attention to what everyone is saying!"

Makoto stared at Leon with a disapproving look. He put his hood over his head. "Rude," he said.

"Hey, don't call me that!" Leon shouted back.

"Quiet, Kuwata!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I'm trying to focus on what everyone is saying!"

"Shut your mouth, already," Junko said. "You're not helping."

Kiyotaka finally loses it. "Gah! I'm losing focus!" he shouted. "I forgot what everyone had told me! Ugh. Everyone, repeat what you've said!"

Everyone groaned upon being ordered that. Except for Byakuya. He refused to say anything no matter how hard the others tried.

"What are all of you complaining about?" a new voice said. "Do you really have to say all of these things?"

Everyone turned around to the source of the new voice. Everyone was shocked when they saw it. It was Kyoko.

"Ha! Took you long enough!" Natsumi said. "You were so late."

"Kirigiri!" Kiyotaka scolded. "There you are! Where have you been? We were so worried about you. We already started the meeting without you! Please! Explain yourself!"

Kyoko said nothing as she approached the central table. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. She tossed the paper on the table for everyone to see. The paper is covered with shapes, lines and diagrams.

"What...is this?" Makoto asked.

"Those lines, those shapes!" Hifumi said. "This must be the work of an architect! This must be a diagram of a building!"

"Not just any building," Kyoko added. "What you're seeing now is a map of Hope's Peak Academy."

Everyone gasped when they heard they were staring at a map of Hope's Peak Academy.

"My goodness," Sayaka said upon taking a closer look at the map. "It really is a map!"

"Hold on a second," Kiyotaka said, growing suspicious of Kyoko. "Kirigiri, where did you find this map? I know that there's a map on our handbooks, but this map contains floors that we haven't seen yet. This must be the map of the entire Hope's Peak Academy!"

"Not the entire school," Makoto corrected as he pointed to a big black spot of the map. "That part of the map is covered up. I can't see a thing underneath it."

"Even so, this map must be important," Kiyotaka replied. "I'm telling you once again, Kirigiri. Where did you find this map?"

Kyoko shook her head. "I just found it in my pocket," she said.

"What do you mean you found it in your pocket?" Kiyotaka asked. "You must've taken that map from somewhere. Tell me! Where. Did you. Find. This. Map?"

Kyoko played around with her braid. "It doesn't matter where I found it," she said. "All that matters is what the map contains." She leaned toward the map and pointed to some things. "Look at this. Do you see it? The building layout is laid out precisely in the same way as Hope's Peak Academy. It even says so down here in this corner."

"So...we really are in Hope's Peak Academy," Sayaka said.

"Wait, are you sure that this is really Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto asked. "For some reason, it feels a bit different."

"In terms of construction, yes," Kyoko replied. "But it appears that the building has undergone some strange renovations. There's a room that isn't on those maps. I haven't gotten a good look at the upper floors, so who knows how much the building has changed."

"So...are you telling me that this is the school for the hope of the world?" Mondo asked. "We're supposed to be the elite, the top students of the world, and this is how we're treated? Trapped in a school and forced to kill each other? This is so stupid, it's impossible."

"But...what about the other students?" Hina asked. "If this is really Hope's Peak Academy, then where are the students?"

"Speaking of students, where are the teachers?" Sakura added. "Or the other staff members?"

"Shut up already," Hiro said. "This school probably isn't a school. It's really a laboratory run by some sick maniacs! Like that doctor over there!"

Yasuke leered at Hiro. "Who are you calling a maniac?" he asked. "I'm not a maniac. I'm a doctor. Also, are you doing another one of your predictions thing?"

"Shut up!" Hiro shouted. "You're probably a maniac yourself! Because doctors and maniacs, they're the same, right?"

Yasuke put up a disapproving look. "...How dare you spit in the face of science," he said.

"But hey, at least we have each other," Hiro continued. "Why don't we relax for a moment and chill? Good thing come to those who wait, right? If we wait long enough, everything will work out."

Celeste then started laughing, causing everyone to stare at her in confusion.

"W-Why are you laughing?" Toko asked. "W-What's so funny?"

"I'm just happy," Celeste replied. "That is all."

"H-How is this making you happy?" Toko asked. "Y-You'd better pay attention to the s-situation. We wasted our time l-looking around this school. We w-wasted all this time looking for a way out and figure out who's b-behind this. W-We still have no idea about what's going on!"

Celeste suddenly stopped laughing as she stared right at Toko. "What did you just say?" she asked.

"I-It doesn't matter," Toko replied. "E-Enough with your foolish talks! You're not fooling me!"

Celeste ignored what Toko said and let out a chuckle. "Isn't it clear?" she asked. "You all should know by now. We are imprisoned in a secret location, with no way out except to murder someone. That is the reality we're facing right now."

Nobody wanted to admit it, but it's true. They are really stuck in Hope's Peak Academy. It's a palace, but it's also a prison. The only way to exit this prison is to kill someone and get away with it. There is no other way out.

"Y-You don't have to say that," Toko said as she scratched her head. "I-I was trying to not t-think about it. W-We have n-no way out. W-We're trapped in here u-until the day we die. W-What are we supposed to do? I don't want to be in this place anymore!"

"Isn't it obvious already?" Byakuya said as he sneered. "If you want to escape, all you have to do is kill-"

Junko slapped Byakuya, stopping him in the middle of his sent "Hey, this isn't something we should joke about!" she said. "Taking someone's life is no laughing manner!"

Byakuya turned around towards Junko, covering the part of his face that was slapped. He growled at Junko and slapped her back.

"Junko!" Yasuke cried as he rushed in to protect Junko. He stared at Byakuya. "Why you-!"

The tension in the room is starting to escalate. If someone doesn't do something, it'll turn into an all out brawl, and someone will definitely be killed. Something must be down to defuse the tension.

Sayaka jumped from her seat and faced everyone. With a deep breath, she made her voice loud and clear. "Everyone, calm down!" she shouted.

Everyone stopped what they're doing and faced Sayaka.

Sayaka took a few more breaths before continuing. "Everyone, we can't afford to fight each other," she said. "We're stuck in this together. If we want to get out of here, then we must stop fighting and work together."

Makoto stood up and stand alongside Sayaka. "I agree with Maizono," he said. "Fighting each other will only drive us apart. Our enemies aren't each other. It's Monokuma! If there's anyone what we must fight against, it's him."

"I agree with those two!" Kiyotaka said. "As someone who values order above everything else, I cannot tolerate any levels of fighting. Like these two said, we must work together if we want to escape this school. We're in this together! As long as we focus on Monokuma, we will escape this school alive!"

The little speeches made by these three students sound inspirational. They sound like they could lead a revolution against Monokuma. Unfortunately for these three, not everyone is willing to listen to them.

Celeste laughed as she walked by the three students. "Really now?" she said. "Do any of you three think you can just sway everyone on your side and get everyone to escape? How naive of you. You three are too optimistic for this world. One of you will suffer a horrible death."

"Hey! Predicting the future is supposed to be my job!" Hiro complained. "Stop stealing it from me, or else you'll be betrayed by the one who call you a friend!"

Whatever that fortune, everyone wished that it doesn't become true.

"I've already said it to you two," Celeste said, talking to Makoto and Sayaka. She then shifted her gaze to Kiyotaka. "But I must say it again for him. Our only option now is to adapt. Adapt to living our lives in this school."

"Adapt?" Kiyotaka said. "What are you saying?"

"If you refuse to adapt, then you will not survive," Celeste continued, ignoring Kiyotaka. "Survival is not about who is the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest, It all comes down to those who chose to adapt. Speaking of adapting, may I offer a suggestion?"

Makoto and Sayaka stare at each other for a moment before looking back at Celeste.

"What's your suggestion?" Makoto asked.

"We all know that we are trapped here," Celeste began. "Therefore, we will be spending the night in this school. However, you all remember the rule regarding 'nighttime', correct? I feel like something's missing from that rule. I think we should add our own rule."

"And what's that?" Sayaka asked.

"Yeah! What do you want to add?" Kiyotaka asked.

Celeste giggled for a moment before giving out her suggestion. "The new rule is, going outside the dormitory at night should be prohibited," she said.

Everyone gasped upon hearing the suggestion.

"Seriously?" Natsumi said. "You're saying that we shouldn't go outside our dorm rooms at night?"

"But...why?" Toko asked. "W-Why do you want to add this r-rule?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Celeste said. "The way things are currently are, every night will make us all worried and anxious. We will all be afraid of someone killing us at night."

"What?" Kiyotaka reacted.

"No way," Hina said. "Are you saying that this will happen to one of us?"

"If we were to worry about that night after night, it will wear us down soon enough," Celeste continued. "We will lose our sleep over this. As a caution against this, we shouldn't spend unnecessary amounts of time outside our dormitory rooms at night. Unfortunately, unlike all the other rules, our headmaster won't force us to comply. We must agree to follow this rule. So, is everyone with me?"

Nobody said anything.

"I'll take that as a yes," Celeste said. "So, now that everyone agrees to follow this rule, we need someone to enforce it. Who is willing to do the task?"

Nobody raised their hands.

Celeste then turned to Kiyotaka. "Why don't you enforce the nighttime rule?" she suggested.

"Huh? Why me?" Kiyotaka asked.

"You are the Ultimate Hall Monitor, correct?" Celeste said. "You have experience paroling the hallways, catching students when they break the rules. You are the perfect person to do the task. Very well. You are now our nighttime patrol. I expect you to do your task."

"Hey!" Kiyotaka attempted to protest.

"As for me, I'd better get going," Celeste said. "I need to get to my room to take a shower before night falls. I don't want the water to turn off as I'm bathing myself." She then left the dining hall.

The entire room fell into silence. Kyoko broke the silence, but only for a brief moment.

"I'd better get going," Kyoko said. Before she left, she took the map of Hope's Peak Academy and left the room.

"So...now what?" Hina asked.

"Two people have already left," Junko said. "Is there anything left for us to discuss?"

"There are lot of things that I want to talk about," Kiyotaka said. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time to discuss such things. I hereby declare this meeting over!"

"Wait, don't we have something to talk about?" Yasuke said. "Such as, are we really going to sleep in this school?"

"We don't have a choice," Sakura said. "Our only option is to sleep in the provided dorm rooms."

"But, w-what about our plans for tomorrow?" Toko asked.

"We can talk about that later," Kiyotaka said. "For now, everyone get to your dorm rooms. Good night, everyone. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Everyone then began to leave the dining room.

* * *

 **Day 1 - 9:55 PM**  
Dormitory, First Floor

Makoto and Sayaka are about to enter their dorm rooms to sleep for the night. They stopped right in front of the doors to hold a brief conversation.

"Hey, Naegi?" Sayaka asked.

"Now what?" Makoto replied.

"I know that we don't have much time left in the day," Sayaka said, "but could we hang out tomorrow morning? I still have lots of things that i want to talk about with you."

Makoto thought about it for a moment. "You know, I'm not so sure about that," he replied. "But if we have time, then yeah. I will hang out with you.

Sayaka smiled at Makoto. She let out a little giggle. "I'd knew you would say that," she said. "Hmm, you seem to be doing better than most of the people I've met."

"Really?" Makoto said. "How am I doing better than most people? I'm supposed to be an average student, so what's so strange about me?"

"Unlike most people, you don't talk a lot about my career," Sayaka said. "When most people meet me, they usually focus on my career, my songs, and how much they're excited to see me. To be honest, I found most of those people to be annoying and creepy. But you, Naegi? You seem to be able to hold normal conversations with me."

"I can do that?" Makoto asked. He rubbed the back of his head. "Huh. I must've not noticed that. I should probably take note next time."

"I had lots of fun hanging out with you, Naegi," Sayaka said with a smile. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. Good night."

Makoto smiled back. "You too, Maizono," he replied.

Makoto and Sayaka entered their dorm rooms just as the nighttime announcement played.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Ahem, good evening, students," Monokuma announced. "This is a school announcement. The current time is 10:00 PM (22:00). As such, it is officially nighttime. From this point until daytime, several areas of the school will be locked, such as the dining hall. Entry into locked rooms is strictly prohibited. Now, with all that out of the way, good night, everyone. Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Makoto laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He began thinking about the events of today. He along with 15 other students were placed into Hope's Peak Academy. They are forced into a game against their will. They have two choices: to live the rest of their lives trapped in this school, or to kill someone and try to escape. Neither option seemed pleasant. Makoto began to wonder if there's any way out of this school that doesn't involve killing someone. He knew that Monokuma will do his best to prevent this from happening, but he had a feeling that a way out will be found soon. He and the rest of the students just have to work together and stand up against Monokuma.

As Makoto thought about a way to escape, he felt his eyelids getting heavy. He could barely keep his eyes open. He tried his best to stay awake for as long as possible, but his drowsiness won out. As soon as his eyelids are closed, Makoto fell asleep immediately.

Meanwhile, Sayaka is trying to fall asleep, but her own thoughts are keeping her awake. Even though she had locked her door, she still feared that someone might break in and kill her, even if it's against the rules. Everyone's lives are at stake here, and she might be dead by tomorrow. It doesn't help that she sensed someone walking right outside her door. She wanted to go out and investigate, but she feared that whoever is out there might kill her. It almost got to the point where she lost her sanity.

As Sayaka was kept awake by her own fears and thoughts, there's also another force that's making her fall asleep. Keeping herself awake will only make herself feel drowsy. She soon found herself caught in a fight between wakefulness and sleepiness. In the end, her sleepiness won the fight, and Sayaka fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Daily Life 2)

**Day 2 - 6:30 AM**   
**Dormitory, First Floor**

Makoto opened his eyes as he woke up from his sleep. He got up from his bed still feeling drowsy. The morning announcement hasn't played yet. It's probably because he woke up a little early. He wanted to know exactly what time it is, but without a clock or any windows, there's no way to tell the time with some level of certainty. Makoto thought about going back to sleep for just a little longer, but he felt that he's awake enough. Perhaps he should do something with the time he has.

Makoto then remembered that he made a promise to Sayaka last night. He promised to her that he would hang out with her in the morning. There's something that she really want to talk about with him, and he wondered what it could be. Makoto then decided that he should pay Sayaka a visit. Her room's next door, after all.

With a plan on what to do for the morning, Makoto got off his bed, slipped on his shoes, and headed out to the door. He opened the door up and got out of his room. As soon as he got out, though, Makoto was met with a surprise.

"Good morning!" Kiyotaka greeted.

"Gah!" Makoto yelped as he stumbled backwards. He tripped and landed on his bottom.

"Oh, did I scare you again?" Kiyotaka asked with a surprised look on his face. Then his started bawling. "My apologies! I didn't mean to do that! I was just trying to give you a good greeting!"

Makoto got up with an annoyed look on his face. He dusted off his bottom as he faced Kiyotaka. "Ishimaru, what the heck?" he complained. "Is this how you greet people? You shouldn't surprise me like that again. You could've gotten me hurt. Also, don't be too hard on yourself. You're being overly dramatic."

Kiyotaka then suddenly stopped bawling. He continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "Okay, Naegi," he said. "I promise! I promise to never surprise you again. Got it?"

"Shouldn't I ask you to do that?" Makoto said. He then shook the thought out of his mind. "Anyways, what are you doing here this early in the morning? The morning announcement hasn't played yet. Also, what time is it? I've lost track of time."

"That's a great question!" Kiyotaka said. "You see, I maintain a proper sleep schedule. I always go to bed at the exact same time and I always awake myself at the exact same time. I do this because being a successful person requires proper time management. If you can't manage your time well, then you can't succeed in life."

Makoto was left scratching his head. "I'm not sure I fully agree with that," he said, feeling a little unsure.

"As for your question about what time it currently is, I have a solution for you," Kiyotaka said. He then presented his wrist watch to Makoto. "This is my watch. I made sure to bring it with me every day. As long as I have this, I know exactly what time it is. If I don't bring it with me, I might lose track of time and I will fall behind the rest of my peers." He said the last few words in a sobbing tone.

Makoto took a look a Kiyotaka's watch and read the hands. They read 6:33 AM. Okay, so neither Makoto nor Kiyotaka woke up that early. That still leaves them with plenty of time to do something.

"Looks like we have a few more minutes before the morning announcement plays," Makoto remarked. "Why don't we do something before everyone else wakes up?"

As Kiyotaka thinks about his plans for the morning, Sayaka exited her room. She looked a little drowsy, as she's rubbing her eyes.

"Ugh, could you guys keep it down?" Sayaka asked. "I'm trying to get my sleep."

Makoto and Kiyotaka turn their attention towards Sayaka. Makoto seemed to be surprised to see Sayaka, while Kiyotaka looked excited.

"Maizono!" Kiyotaka greeted. "Good morning! I hope you had a good night's rest."

Makoto sensed that there was something that's bothering Sayaka. He stepped up to her. "Maizono, is there something wrong?" he asked.

Sayaka shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she replied. "I just...I just didn't get my good night's rest."

"Why?" Makoto asked.

"Quit worrying so much!" Kiyotaka said, startling both Makoto and Sayaka. "We have things to do for the morning. I'm planning to host a meeting this morning."

"Where?" Makoto asked.

Kiyotaka opened his mouth to speak, but then realized something. "Oh dear, I almost forgot!" he said. "I was going to do a morning meeting at the dining hall, but then I remembered that the morning announcement hasn't played yet. It's closed and locked right now. There must be something we could do now. I'll be going away for now. I just need to think about what to do for the morning." After saying all of that, Kiyotaka walked away.

Once Kiyotaka is away, Makoto resumed his conversation with Sayaka. "So, Maizono?" he said. "Is there something wrong? Why didn't you get a good night's rest."

Sayaka was silent for a few moments as she thought about what to say. "Um..." she began. "Well, last night, I felt that someone weird was happening. It happened right outside my door."

"You door?" Makoto replied with a puzzled look.

"I don't know what's going on outside," Sayaka continued. "There must be someone out there, right outside my door. I wanted to figure out, but I feared that if I did that, I might get myself killed."

"Killed?!" Makoto gasped in shock. "You think you're going to be killed on the first night?"

"I don't know," Sayaka said. "But...we're in a game of life and death. Someone's going to die soon, and that person could've been me."

Makoto placed his hand on Sayaka's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much," he said. "You're going to be fine. We're all going to be fine."

Sayaka wasn't sure if Makoto is going to be right. She shivered for a moment before getting an idea. "You know, someday, somebody's going to kill us," she said. "I don't know who's coming after us or when they're coming, but if that happens, we need to do something to prevent out deaths."

Makoto had a bad feeling about this. "Wait, you're not saying..." he said.

Sayaka nodded in confirmation. "Yes," she said. "We're going to get weapons. For self-defense."

Makoto wasn't sure about how he should react. Getting a weapon for self-defense might be an extreme action to take, but considering that any one of them might be killed at any time, it looks like a reasonable action to take. Now that he thinks about it, Makoto remembered seeing a gold sword on the display case on the way to the gym. It looks usable. Maybe that could be used as a weapon.

"Oh? The sword in the display case?" Sayaka asked. "Hmm...that sure looks like it could be used as a weapon. Alright then. Let's go to the gym, Naegi!"

"A-Again?" Makoto reacted. "Was I thinking that out loud? I swear I wasn't."

"Like I said before, I'm psychic," Sayaka said. She then smiled and giggled. "Oh, I'm just kidding again. Seriously, my intuition is just amazing."

Makoto wondered if he was that easy to read. If that's the case, he might watch himself out. Someone might exploit that one day and lead him to his death. It's a horrifying thought to have. Makoto shook that thought away and resumed to talk to Sayaka.

"Right, let's go to the gym," Makoto said. "Come on, Maizono. Follow me."

"Okay!" Sayaka replied.

Makoto and Sayaka then head out to the the gym.

* * *

**Day 2 - 6:42 AM**   
**Athletics Hallway, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka entered the hallway leading into the gym. There, they found the gold sword in the display. How exciting! It's sealed behind a glass display case, but for some reason the case is unlocked. The glass case slid right open, allowing access to its contents.

Makoto and Sayaka took a closer look at the gold sword. It turns out that the sword is not entirely made of gold. It's just coated with a thin layer of gold. Plus, the sword doesn't look real. It's more of a replica sword. There something engraved into the stand the sword is on. Unfortunately, most of the text is rendered illegible.

Sayaka was disappointed that the sword in the display wasn't real. "Aw, it's not real," she said. "I thought it was usable for a moment. It looked so real. Still, I wonder who won that sword. It must be someone who is really good a fighting with swords."

As Sayaka wondered about the student that won the gold sword, Makoto reached out and touched it. It might be a replica sword, but it it does look usable. He doesn't think that it'll deal as much damage as a real sword, though. Makoto then pulled his hand away from the sword, but then he felt that it's still on his hand even though he's not touching it. He looked at the hand he used to touch the sword and discovered that something nasty has happened to it.

"Jeez!" Makoto shouted. "I barely touched it, and now I have gold stuff all over my hands! Aw, what a mess!"

Sayaka then noticed that Makoto has some gold on his hands. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped. "Naegi, you have gold on your hands!"

"Yes, I know!" Makoto replied as he tried to rub the gold off his hands. He tried his best, but all he did was make his hands even messier.

Sayaka looked back at the replica sword. "Alright, there's no way we're using this," she said. "Even if it's just a replica, it's just too messy to be usable. I don't think we should be taking this."

Makoto gave up with cleaning the gold off his hands for now. He figured that he could just wash his hands later. "Well, there goes our defensive options," he said. "We'll be left wide open to attacks from everyone else. But you know, maybe we don't need a weapon."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sayaka asked.

Makoto glanced over to Sayaka. "Maybe, all we need is each other," he said, causing Sayaka to gasp. "If anything were to happen to us, when the time comes, I will protect you, no matter what."

"You'll...protect me?" Sayaka said. Then she began smiling. "Thank you. Thank you so much!" She then leapt forward and hugged Makoto.

"H-Hey!" Makoto said. "Maizono, you don't have to this."

"I know," Sayaka replied. "But, you're so sweet. I couldn't resist." She then pulled back and reached into her pockets. She pulled out a small bag of tissues and offered a tissue to Makoto. "Here, take one. You can use it to clean your hands. I don't have much left, but I hope this is enough."

"Oh, thanks," Makoto said as he took the tissue paper and used it to clean his hands of the gold.

Makoto and Sayaka spent a few more moments in the hallway near the display. They remained silent as they figured out what to talk about next.

"So, now what?" Makoto said. "Do you have anything else to talk about?"

Sayaka stared off into the distance. "Uh...no," she said. "I don't know. I really wanted to talk to you, but now that we're here, I'm not sure what to talk about."

"Don't you have something that you want to talk about?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka shook her head. "No," she said. She then turned around and faced Makoto. "What about you?"

Makoto didn't take long to figure out what to talk about. "I'm still wondering," he began. "What did I do that made you remember me?"

Sayaka gasped upon being asked that question. She realized that she didn't give Makoto a chance to talk about it. It nearly slipped her mind. She took a moment to think about what to say next. "Um...Naegi?" she finally said. "Do you remember that incident back in our first year in middle school? A huge bird wandered into the school pond. It's like something straight out of a fairy tale."

Now that Sayaka had mentioned it, Makoto did remembered that incident. He didn't think too much about it at the time, but now that he thought about it, he realized that it must be important to Sayaka. It's something that made her remember him so fondly. Remembering that incident, he made his guess.

"You're talking about that crane incident, right?" Makoto said.

"Yeah! That crane incident!" Sayaka replied. "A huge crane wandered into the school pond. It was so big, none of the teachers knew what to do with it. But you...you rescued that crane and released it back into the wild."

"Well, that's only because I was in charge of taking care of the animals at the time," Makoto said. "Actually, I was the only one in the club at the time. The teachers made me take care of that crane because they knew that I would do a great job."

"You did that all by yourself?" Sayaka gasped. "Aw! That makes you even sweeter! I should've said it then, but is it okay if I say it now?"

"What?" Makoto reacted.

"Thank you," Sayaka said. "I'm that crane you saved. I really wanted to return the favor. Now that I'm here with you, I can finally give you something in return. Here, I'll make a cloak for you."

Makoto felt a little awkward right. He's pretty sure Sayaka is just joking, but the fact that she pretended to be the crane he saved looked a bit ridiculous.

Sayaka then giggled. "Just kidding," she said. "But...in all seriousness, if you're wondering how I knew about that crane incident, it's because I watched you saved that crane."

Makoto dropped his jaw. "What?" he said. "You really were there?"

"I saw you save that crane," Sayaka continued. "It was the most touching thing I have seen anyone do. It's something that takes a lot of kindness to do, and you've done it. I really wanted to talk to you after that incident. I tried my best to get a chance to be with you, but we never got that chance, at least until now. All throughout middle school, we never said a word to each other. You never even looked at me."

"It's because you're a celebrity, even back in middle school," Makoto explained. "Even if I were a fan of you, I couldn't bring myself to stare at you. Wait, how did you know I never looked at you?"

"Because I looked at you all the time, whenever I can," Sayaka replied. "Ever since that crane incident, I always kept my eyes on you. I'm always looking for an opportunity to talk to you. I really wanted to hang out with you, Naegi." She paused for a moment to take in a deep breath. "But...I'm almost always surrounded by people who want to hang out with me. I couldn't find the time to talk to you. And you never even approached me. As a result, we ended up graduating middle school without saying a word to each other. That's one of my biggest regrets."

Makoto is starting to understand Sayaka a little better. He didn't know this side of her until now. Perhaps he should've approached her back in middle school. He should've be more comfortable with approaching a celebrity. He once thought that celebrity were too good for him, that they were on a level far above him. But Sayaka taught him that, even those these celebrities had a lot of fame behind them, they're still human.

Makoto let out a sigh. "You know, I regretted not speaking to you too, Maizono," he said, catching Sayaka by surprise. "If I had known that you really wanted to talk to me this much, I could've talked to you when I had the chance. We could've been friends back in middle school. Now that I think about, we could've been more than just friends if we just met in middle school."

"More than just friends?" Sayaka asked as she blushed.

"But instead...I averted my eyes away from you," Makoto continued. "I saw you as just an idol, a celebrity. Someone to be admired from afar, not on a personal level. I'm sorry that I didn't give myself a chance to get to know you, Maizono. I just didn't realize the potential of our relationship."

Sayaka smiled lightly. "It's okay," she said. "It's better late than never to start a relationship. I hate that we met again under such awful conditions, but I'm glad that I got to do this. I feel so much better when you're at my side. Thank you, Makoto. Thank you so much!"

Makoto felt his heart getting warmer as his relationship with Sayaka develops and deepens. They've became fast friends ever since they've met. It got to the point were Sayaka began calling Makoto by his first name instead of his last name. Whether or not it was intentional was up for interpretation, but if they formed a close relationship, then he might as well call Sayaka by her first name.

With a smile on his face, Makoto replied, "Thank you too, Sayaka."

Sayaka then pulled Makoto into a hug. This time, Makoto didn't mind. He hugged Sayaka back with his (now) clean hands. They embraced each other for several moments as the morning announcent began to play.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced over the intercoms. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 7:00 AM, which means that nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine, everyone! Today's going to be a beautiful day!"

Now that the morning announcement has played, the dining hall is finally opened. It was at this point where Makoto and Sayaka stopped hugging each other, surprised at how fast their relationship evolved.

"Wow, has it really been that long?" Sayaka asked. "I thought we were hanging out for way longer than just a few minutes."

"I can't believe it's been a full day since we've met," Makoto remarked. "I can't believe that we've bonded together so quickly. It almost felt like our relationship is growing too fast."

"It must be the stress of dying that's forcing us to do this," Sayaka guessed. "Let's not focus on that for now. The dining hall has just been opened, and soon the rest of our classmates will be waking up. Oh! That reminds me. We should prepare breakfast for them."

"Sounds like a great idea," Makoto replied. "Let's head to the dining room as soon as we can."

Nodding in agreement, Makoto and Sayaka traveled to the dining hall and into the kitchen. They prepared food for their classmates.

* * *

**Day 2 - 7:20 AM**   
**Dining Hall, First Floor**

While Makoto, Sayaka, and Kiyotaka are in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the rest of the students, Yasuke is walking around the dining room checking up on the students. He held a small notepad and a pencil.

"Alright, I need to check up on everyone's sleeping habits," Yasuke announced. He first leaned over to Hina and asked her, "How long did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, I slept like a log floating around in a river," Hina replied. "I slept for a good 8 hours."

Yasuke recorded that on his notepad before moving on to the next person. "What about you, Ogami? Did you sleep well?"

Sakura gave the briefest answer possible. "8," she said.

"8 hours?" Yasuke asked. He doesn't want an answer. He recorded it on his notepad before moving on to Leon. "And you, Kuwata?"

"7 hours," Leon replied. He then wondered why he was asked that question. "Wait, why are we doing this? Why are asking us how long we have slept?"

Yasuke let out a tired groan. "Look, I'm a doctor, understand?" he said. "It's my job to look after everyone's well-being."

"Aren't you a neurologist?" Natsumi said with a scoff. "Shouldn't you deal with something like study the brain? That's what neurologists do, right?"

Yasuke glared at Natsumi as he walked up to her. "Look, you little dragon," he said. "I have years of medial knowledge and training to back me up. I have been trained in fields outside of neurology. I know how to do general medical practices. Do you really think that just because I'm the Ultimate Neurologist, that means that I only specialize in neurology?"

Natsumi was left silent. All she could do is make a little grin.

Yasuke then let out a frustrated sigh as he resumed his task. "Alright, your turn next, Natsumi," he said. "Tell me how long you've slept last night."

"Do you really think that's important information to know?" Natsumi said.

Yasuke refused to say anything, instead further leaning into Natsumi.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" Natsumi said. "7 and a half hours. There! That's all you need to know."

Yasuke continued to record the sleeping hours of the rest of the students. Meanwhile, Leon slumped on the table, waiting for the food to arrive. As he waited, Celeste walked up next to him.

Leon turned around and noticed Celeste. "Oh, good morning Celeste," he greeted.

"Good morning to you too, Kuwata," Celeste greeted back. She then took a closer look at Leon. "Is there something wrong?"

Leon looked at the kitchen with a sigh. "It's Naegi and Maizono," he said. "They're hanging out. Again. Ugh. When will they ever stop hanging out with each other I wanna hang out with Maizono?"

"It's those two again, correct?" Celeste asked. "I should've known. Ever since this game started, these two were never seen apart outside of nighttime." She then pulled up a chair and sat next to Leon. "You know, I have my eyes on Naegi too."

Leon turned around and faced Celeste. "Whoa, really?" he asked. "Since when?"

"Since I first laid my eyes on him," Celeste replied. "Naegi...he's someone I'm very interested in talking to. He might look ordinary, but don't be fooled. Within him contains a potential for something more. His luck has made me intrigued with him. I'm just like him: I only got into this school due to my own luck. I look forward into testing my own luck against his."

"Seriously?" Leon asked. He then shook his head in disbelief. "Look, I have no idea about who you are. But between you and Naegi, I think Naegi is more likely to win."

"Really? You bet that?" Celeste asked. She then giggled about the odds. "I don't think Naegi will win. He has no experience in playing games like the ones I played. He will surely lose against me. That said, he might stand a chance against me. You never know when beginner's luck will strike."

"Nah, Naegi will totally win for sure," Leon said. He then shifted his attention to the kitchen. "As for me, I still got my eyes on Maizono. I think she's the perfect girl for me!"

Celeste then laughed a little. "Don't count on it," she said.

Leon turned back at Celeste. "What? Why?" he asked.

"Remember when Sayaka dove after Makoto to shove him out of the way of Mondo?" Celeste asked. "Don't you feel that something's...off about her?"

In the distance, Mondo is seen grunting in pain when he's reminded of the moment when he nearly punched Makoto. Yasuke, who is talking to him at the time, turned around and wondered what could've caused it. After that, he turned right back at Mondo and resumed to talk to him.

"Yeah, I remembered that," Leon replied. "Maizono was totally not herself at that moment."

"Well, what if it's the exact opposite?" Celeste suggested. "What if the Sayaka we've been seeing all this time isn't the real Sayaka?"

Leon shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious," he said. "The real Maizono will never act like that!"

"I wouldn't phrase it like that," Celeste said. "You see, everyone person has a side that they don't want to show to others. To hide that side from the outside world, people put up a mask. That mask is what they present to the outside world. For the most part, that mask works in hiding one's inner, secret self. But when that mask fails-"

"Oh, no," Leon said, interrupting Celeste. "Let's not get philosophical here."

Celeste gave Leon a disapproving look. "How rude," she said. "I was about to get to the good part. Oh well. I guess I should say this instead. If you put your expectations too high, you will be disappointed."

Leon had no idea how to react to that, so he just sat there in silence.

Soon, Yasuke walked up to Celeste. "Excuse me for a moment," he said. "Could you please tell me how long you've slept?"

Celeste turned around and looked up at Yasuke. "Oh, that's easy," she said. "I slept for 6 hours."

Leon dropped his jaw upon hearing that. He was shocked to hear how little Celeste has slept last night. Yasuke, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow in suspicion. He found Celeste's answer to be...unreasonable.

"Really?" Yasuke asked. "Do you really sleep for that little?"

"I'm serious," Celeste said. "I'm telling the truth."

Yasuke assumed that Celeste had lied right there, given her history of lying and her title that is the Queen of Liars. He recorded a different number than what Celeste had said, putting down 8. However, Celeste saw his hand movement and knew that he wrote down a different number.

"Hey, that's not what I said," Celeste said. "I said 6, and you wrote 8. The 8 was a lie. In truth, I've slept for 6 hours. Now, would you please change it for me?"

Yasuke glared at Celeste and mouthed the words, "I don't trust you." Then, he left Celeste, having finished recording the sleeping data for everyone.

A few minutes later, Makoto, Sayaka, and Kiyotaka exited the kitchen with trays full of good.

"We're done!" Makoto announced.

"Breakfast is ready!" Sayaka said.

"Good morning, everyone!" Kiyotaka said. "I hope you all had a good night's rest! Now eat up! We have a long day ahead of us!"

* * *

**Day 2 - 8:30 AM  
Dining Room, First Floor**

With everyone having finished breakfast, Kiyotaka decided to hold the students' second meeting. Like the previous meeting, Kiyotaka stands at one end of the central table talking to everyone else.

"Alright everyone," Kiyotaka began. "We need a plan here. You all understand that we're all going to be living here for possibly the rest of our lives. Unless one of us takes the life of another, we won't likely find a way to escape. Until that day comes, we must try our best to function like a normal society. As such, I will assign roles for each of us to take. Dr. Yasuke Matsuda, you will continue to play the role of medic, correct?"

Yasuke let out a sigh. "Of course I will," he said. "My role's in my title. I must warn all of you, though. Don't let yourselves get any serious injuries. We don't have the supplies to treat them. Trust me, I checked."

"So, that means that once a person is murdered, we cannot save them?" Junko asked.

"We might be able to save a critically injured student if we act fast enough," Yasuke replied. "But the margins are tight. We have one chance to save a person. If we make even a single mistake, that's it. That person is dead."

Kiyotaka continued to assign roles to the students. "Now, over time, garbage will accumulate in our bins," he said. "If we don't do anything, that garbage will pile up and spill into our rooms. We need someone to clean our garbage for us. There's an incinerator in the trash area, but that's a huge problem for us in our current situation. Whoever's in garbage duty could exploit their role to murder someone and burn away all of the evidence. So whoever we chose to be on trash duty will have to promise to not murder anyone."

"Why don't we assign the trash duty to that far, miserable ball of secrets?" Natsumi suggested.

Everyone turned their attention towards Hifumi.

Hifumi looked around the room with a panicked look. "Hey, don't call me fat!" he shouted. "It hurts my feelings! Aw, fine! I'll take over the trash, but only because you guys aren't willing to do it!"

Kiyotaka nodded in agreement. "Alright, that sounds good," he said. "Unfortunately, the incinerator is locked behind a gate. We need a key to unlock it, but we don't have one for the gate."

"Or do we?" Monokuma said as he appeared, startling everyone.

"Aw, shit," Mondo groaned. "Not you again!"

A bad feeling formed around everyone the longer Monokuma stayed within their sights.

Monokuma then pulled out a small set of keys from...somewhere. "You want the keys to the incinerator in the trash room?" he asked. "I have them! Here! Take these!" He tossed the keys at Hifumi, hitting him right in the face and knocking him out. "He'll be fine. He's not breaking any rules. Don't worry too much about him. Now then, I'll see you later. So long, and bear well!" He then disappeared.

"Well, now with that strange scene over we can move on," Kiyotaka said. "So, onto the next task. We are provided with sets of clothes for us to wear every day. It appears that we are provided clothing identical to the ones we're wearing now. While we are provided with several sets, we will run out of clothes if we aren't careful. There's a laundry room in the building, so we can assign someone to clean our clothes and return them to their proper owner. Is there anyone willing to do that?"

No one raised their hand.

"Why don't we dump that role to another poor sap?" Natsumi suggested. "How about that sea urchin headed guy whose 'predictions' will definitely not come true."

"Please! Enough already!" Hiro cried. "You're too cruel! That's it! You've pushed me far enough! I'm going to curse you with another prediction! You're going to lose your entire family!"

"Hey! Don't say things like that!" Natsumi shouted. "No matter what happens, my family's clan will remain standing. As long as there's at least one member remaining, my family will stand!"

Kiyotaka stared at Hiro with a deadpanned look on his face. "You're on laundry duty, Hiro," he said.

"WHY?!" Hiro cried.

"Ha!" Natsumi said in mockery. "I knew that stupid trash like you will get assigned trashy jobs. I knew my choices are correct."

"As for cleaning duty," Kiyotaka continued. It sounded like all of his energy got drained. "Natsumi."

Natsumi suddenly turned towards Kiyotaka. "What?!" she gasped. "Why me?"

"I am seriously getting tired of you, Natsumi," Kiyotaka said, lacking his usual energy. "The amount of times you've bullied the others is getting under my nerves. As the Ultimate Hall Monitor, I won't tolerate this behavior any longer. As punishment for your behavior, I assign you to do the janitorial work."

Natsumi stomped her foot on the ground. "Hey! You can't make me do some poor man's job!" she said. "I am the heiress to the top clan in Japan. If you force me to do a job that a poor man should so, then my family will-"

"Just shut up and accept your role already," Yasuke said, sounding tired.

Natsumi paused for a moment as she turned around and looked at Yasuke. "Why?" she said.

"The amount of fighting you're engaging in is reaching bullshit levels," Yasuke said. "You need to understand the situation. We are the only ones living in Hope's Peak Academy. There are no other students, and there are no other staff members. This means that we have to do some jobs ourselves. We don't have a janitor to keep this school clean, so somebody has to do it."

"But-" Natsumi tried to open her mouth.

"No buts," Yasuke said. "As Ishimaru said, we have to live and work as a society in this school. We have many tasks that all of us don't want to do. But somebody has to do it. You either accept your role, or we all have to suffer from dirty floors and walls. So, what's it going to be?"

Natsumi stuttered for a moment as she comes to a decision. "Fine!" she declared. "I'll do the cleaning job. But don't expect me to forget about this."

Kiyotaka continued on with the meeting. "Now, that's everyone role I have to assign," he said, this time with a bit more energy. "Unfortunately, I don't have any tasks left for all of you to do. I have no other choice. Just behave like any normal student from now on. There will be a meeting two days from now. You're all dismissed."

* * *

**Day 2 - 9:10 AM  
Classroom 1-A, First Floor**

There's not much to do in Hope's Peak Academy other than sit around and wait. The limited amount of space available to explore doesn't help things at all. The map Kyoko showed to them suggests that there's much more to this building than what they could explore. The question isn't if those places exist. The question is when these gates will open up. With nothing else to do, the students decided to talk to each other and relax.

Makoto and Sayaka decided to hang out in one of the classrooms. They met at the place where they first woke up and met each other. They sat down at adjacent desks and talked to each other.

"You know Sayaka, I'd never imagined that you are a great cook," Makoto said.

Sayaka let out a giggle. "I know," she replied. "Isn't it surprising?"

"Yeah," Makoto said. "I just have a question. When did you learn how to cook so well?"

Sayaka stopped smiling as her face changed into a more puzzled look. "Huh? Why did you ask me that?" she said.

"I'm just wondering," Makoto said. "Did you learn from your parents? Did you attend a cooking class?"

Sayaka went silent for a moment before replying. "Oh...I just taught myself how to cook," she said.

"You taught yourself how to cook?" Makoto repeated. "How?"

Sayaka wasn't comfortable about talking about the current topic. "Can we switch topics?" she asked. "Sorry, I'm just not used to spending my time like this. I never had so much free time in my life. I never once thought that I should do nothing with my free time."

Makoto shrugged. "I guess it makes sense to you," he said. "You're not a normal student like how I used to be. You're an idol. You're always busy. You always have tons of stuff to do every day. And now you're here in Hope's Peak Academy, with all the free time you could have." He then let out a sigh. "But it's not like we can use that free time to do something. There's nothing much we can do in this school except to just...stare off into the distance or something." He looked off towards the metal plates covering the windows, wondering what's going on in the outside world.

Sayaka tried to come up with a different topic. "Hey, Makoto?" she said.

Makoto turned around to face Sayaka. "What is it?" he asked.

"I know this sounds like it's coming out of nowhere," Sayaka said, "but do you have a dream?"

Makoto shook his head. "Not that I know of," he said. "I'm not much of a dreamer myself. I don't have big goals that I want to reach. I just...go where my life decides to take me. I know that's kind of a boring answer, but that's what my dream is. It's as boring as me. But what about you, Sayaka? Don't you have any dreams?"

"Huh? Me?" Sayaka reacted. She stared off into the distance as she thought about her dream. "I...my dream... I wanted to be a star for as long as I can remember. I grew up without a mother. She died before I could even get to know her. My dad worked for long hours, coming home late into the night. As a result, I was alone in my home. I'm an only child, you know. So I ended up really lonely. I spent most of my time at home watching TV. I watched a lot of idol shows, and I was so amazed by them. The idols were so pretty, as if they were princesses dancing before my eyes. They have everything I wanted, the fame, the passion, and the talent. As I watched those idols sing and dance, I could feel my loneliness melting away."

Sayaka didn't realize it, but she was crying as she talking about her dream. Makoto noticed a single tear shedding out of Sayaka's eyes. Sayaka looked happy as she talked about her dreams, but Makoto had a strange feeling about this. Still, he didn't think too much about it.

"After seeing those idols, I decided that I want to become an idol myself," Sayaka continued. "I felt that those idols gave me encouragement, something I was missing in my life. I wanted to become an idol, so that I can give encouragement to others. Eventually, that became my dream."

"That's so amazing," Makoto said. "You worked hard to achieve that dream, didn't you? You were able to make that dream come true. Honestly, I'm impressed. By the way, I think you're shedding tears."

"I am?" Sayaka said. She then wiped the tears off her face. "Oh, guess I am."

"Is there something wrong?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka was silent for a moment as she stared at Makoto. "I...I did whatever it took to fulfill my dream," she said. "I did everything I can, even doing things that...weren't very pleasant. I didn't agree with the actions I had to take, but they are necessary for my dream to come true. I worked my entire life to reach my dreams. I believed that as long as you're chasing your dreams, they will come true someday. But if I stopped chasing my dreams for even a single second, that dream won't come true. I had to keep my focus on my dreams, no matter what. I live in a world where, if I lose focus for just a single second, I will get left behind. I'm constantly fighting against a current where I don't get a single break. That's the kind of world me and my dreams live in right now."

Makoto was stunned for a few moments. "T-That's got to be a tough world for you," he said. "Is the idol industry really that brutal? Is it not fun to go through?"

Sayaka rapidly shook her head. "Oh, no," she said. "Don't get the wrong idea. It's loads of fun. But that's what scares me."

"What?" Makoto said. "Huh? What scares you?"

"I am the lead of my group of idols," Sayaka continued. "Everyone in my group is amazing. We might not get along all the time, but they mean so much to me, at least back then. We've been performing together ever since the very beginning. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to reach my dream. I was so happy that I got to reach my dream, but now I'm getting even more worried. I've been an idol for years, gaining millions of fans and followers. What if the world became tired of us? What will happen to us when the world gets tired of us? My dream will die with my career. All those wonderful days will no longer come, and everyone will go their separate ways."

Sayaka is starting to shiver. Makoto has just noticed this. Sayaka has worked so hard to hard to reach her dream. She's afraid of losing it all, of losing all of her hard work. Makoto began to wonder if he should do something about it.

"When I got the invitation to Hope's Peak Academy, I was excited at first," Sayaka continued. "It is said that if you graduate from here, success is guarantee. If I graduate from this school, I could perform with my friends forever and ever. At least, that's what I thought at first. But...now we're trapped in this place, with no way out. Everyone is out there...waiting for me."

Makoto then remembered that he has a family outside of this school. He looked off into the distance to think for a moment. His family is likely out there, waiting for him to come out. He's trapped in this school with 15 other students, all of whom have friends and family. How many of them are worried about their family? How many of them want to get out to see their loved ones again? He remembered that Junko and Yasuke probably know each other for a long time. Are either of them willing to sacrifice each other just to get a chance at seeing their friends and family? Those are terrifying thoughts, and Makoto shivered at them. He looked back at Sayaka, and saw that she's really shivering.

Sayaka began to hug herself tightly. "I-I'm trapped in here...while the world outside is forgetting about me," she cried. "All that hard work to reach my dream...will all be for nothing. I...I can't stay here. I want to get outta here!"

Sayaka screaming made Makoto jump for a moment. He had never seen her cry this much before.

"I...I really want to get out," Sayaka said, still shivering and hugging herself. "But...now I'm scared of getting out. What if the world had already forgotten about me? Who knows how long I've been stuck here. What if my friends...don't want to play with me anymore? My friends became jealous of me when I got invited into Hope's Peak and they didn't. What if...all my efforts to escape...were for nothing? I-I can't... I don't want to think about this anymore!"

Hearing this...hearing all of this from Sayaka hurt Makoto a little. He couldn't imagine how much pain Sayaka is in right now. She so desperate...so desperate to leave. But at the same time, she's afraid that all of her efforts will be for nothing. It seemed that no matter what she does, her dream will disappear forever. That kind of pain isn't something that can be healed with a few kind words, but Makoto will try his best. He reached out to Sayaka and began to comfort her.

"Sayaka, don't worry too much," Makoto said, making Sayaka stop crying. "No matter what happens, I will stay by your side. I will not abandon you. I will never forget about you."

Sayaka sniffed up. "You...you will?" she asked.

Makoto nodded. "Of course," he said.

Sayaka smiled as she shed tears of joy. "T-Thank you, Makoto," she said. Then she snapped herself back to her usual. "Oh, did I kill the mood? Sorry about that. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," Makoto replied. "I've learned a lot about you." He then let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe that you had lived a life this awful. It makes my normal life look better. Honestly, I'd never knew that the idol industry was this brutal. Now I'm beginning to question how genuine those idols' happiness really were."

"Yeah, things aren't pretty behind the scenes," Sayaka replied. "Sorry if I got a little personal about my life. I can't believe that out conversation has evolved this much in such a short time. And it's all because I wanted to do something besides sitting down and doing nothing. For now, how about we enjoy our time together?"

Sayaka moved her chair closer to Makoto. She sat down and snugged up to Makoto.

"Whoa, getting a bit comfy there," Makoto said. "Okay. Just, make sure you don't get too comfortable. This is...this is kind of awkward."

"It's alright," Sayaka said. "I...feel like I could do this...forever...for as long as I want. You make be feel so much better, Makoto. I don't want to stop this..."

Makoto decided to do some relaxing with Sayaka. He wrapped his arm around her and patted her back as he stared off into the distance thinking about that conversation. He felt that, as Sayaka got to more troubling topics for her, he noticed a crack in her mask. Sayaka fixed that crack up right before it could get any bigger, but that left Makoto wondering. Is the real Sayaka showing up in that moment? Could it be that, underneath Sayaka's mask, there is her true self?

Makoto shook these thoughts out of his head. He shouldn't be thinking these things. He should be relaxing with Sayaka, clearing his mind of troubling thoughts.

After several minutes of relaxing, Sayaka lifted herself off of Makoto. "Well, I think that's enough for today," she said. "I've really tired myself from just talking to you. I think I want to go back to my dorm room and take a rest."

Makoto stretched his arms. "Me too," he said before standing up from his seat. "Come on, Sayaka. Let's go. We don't have anything else to do for today."

Sayaka stood up from her seat and walked with Makoto towards the door. Makoto slid the door open and met two familiar faces.

"Whoa!" Leon gasped. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, hey Kuwata," Sayaka greeted back. "Uh...me and Makoto are just spending some time in the classroom. That's all."

"Really?" Leon said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I heard some crying over in that room. Was that you?"

"That's not relevant for now," Celeste said as she entered the scene. "What is relevant is that you two have been spending an awful lot of time with each other. While that is cute, don't you two think you could use a break for each other?"

"Oh, hey Celeste," Makoto greeted. "Uh...no. Me and Sayaka are talking a break, but we're not tired of each other."

Celeste paused for a moment as she studied both Makoto and Sayaka. She noticed that they had called each other by their first names. Perhaps this is a sign of something.

"Aw, come on!" Leon said. "Couldn't we just take turns hanging out with Maizono? I really want to hang out with her, but I never got the chance!"

"Look, I'm a little tired," Sayaka said. "Would you please give me a break? I could really use one."

Celeste placed her hand over her mouth. "Now that Leon has mentioned it, don't you think that you're hogging Makoto?" she asked.

"What?!" Sayaka gasped.

"Hogging?" Makoto asked.

"Hey, that's harsh!" Leon shouted. "Don't you dare talk to Maizono like that!"

"Look, can you please give us a break?" Makoto asked. "Sayaka and I are done with hanging out with people for now. We're going to our rooms to take a rest."

"Seriously? Already?" Leon said. "Come on! The day just started. I'm sure you have plenty of energy left to go hang out with me, Maizono. Will you please hang out with me? It's been an honor to have you as my classmate."

Sayaka is pretty sure she's not comfortable with hanging out with Leon right now. For some reason, he's just giving off some bad vibes. She felt like she wanted to stay away from him as much as possible. Feeling like she has no other choice, Sayaka ran away from Leon and Celeste, but not before grabbing Makoto and dragging him with her.

"Hey!" Leon shouted as he began to ran after Sayaka. "Maizono! Come back!"

"Just leave them be," Celeste said. "There's always another time."

Leon turned around towards Celeste with a shocked look on his face. "Always another time?" he questioned. He then stomped up to Celeste. "You're saying that we always have another chance? Come on! Do you realize what we're in right now? Someone could be killed at any moment, and Maizono might be the first one to die. I don't have another time! I need to hang out with her as soon as possible!"

"Is that so?" Celeste asked. "I must say, Sayaka could be the first one to die, but so could Makoto. And so could you, Leon."

"Huh? Why me?" Leon asked. "What do you mean I could be the first to die?"

"It could also be me," Celeste continued. "And...it could also be any of us."

"What are you saying?" Leon asked. What Celeste is saying sounded bewildering. What could she meant?"

"What I'm trying to say is, any one of us could be the first to die," Celeste explained. "The only way to escape this place is to murder someone and get away with it. Therefore, somebody's going to snap and kill someone to try to escape. Fortunately for us, things are relatively calm. Nobody's willing to kill each other, at least for now. We can all relax for a moment, knowing that we won't die the next day."

Leon sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god," he said. "So that means that I still get a chance to hang out with Maizono, right?"

Celeste ignored Leon for a moment as she continued with her speech. "But that could easily change in a few days," she said. "Tensions will rise and trusts will fall. Somebody will snap eventually. As soon as somebody realizes that they could no longer afford to stay here, they'll try to kill someone. When that time comes, there will be no second chances to hang out with someone. Once someone dies, they're gone forever, and we could no longer hang out with them. Every opportunity we skip is a risk that we might not get another chance. We must act now before it's too late."

What Celeste is saying sounded interesting, but Leon couldn't bring himself to catch up with her. The rest of her speech turned into a jumble of words in Leon's head. He decided that it's time to change the subject.

"So...we still have opportunities to hang out with people we want to talk to, right?" Leon asked. "I really want to hang out with Maizono, but I'm worried that Naegi will get to her first. What should I do to ensure I that get her?"

"Oh, you're interested in talking about that?" Celeste said. "Fine. Well, I am planning to talk to Makoto, but Sayaka might take him before I get the chance. They seemed to be early risers. Why don't we get up early and stand in front of their room doors? That way, we can get them before they could get each other. Sound good?"

Leon scratched his head. "Um...are you sure this is going to work?" he asked.

"If we woke up later than Makoto and Sayaka, then they will definitely see each other first thing in the morning," Celeste said. "We don't have any other option. So, are you willing to do this?"

Leon thought about it for a moment, and then he nodded.

* * *

**Day 2 - 10:00 PM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good evening, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun. Sleep tight, everyone. And don't let the bedbugs bite."

Today has been a boring day for almost everyone. There was pretty much nothing for the students to do with their time. Everyone is just walking around talking to each other. Those that have jobs to do didn't even do much. It almost felt like daytime lasted forever with how slow the day felt. Without a way to look outside, the students are unable to tell the time based on how high up the sun is. This left the clocks as their only way of reading time, but they're sparsely placed around in the school. This made the day feel even longer.

Makoto laid on his bed feeling exhausted from not doing anything. Other than the morning and meal times, he didn't do much today. After spending a lot of time with Sayaka, he pretty much spent the rest of his day alone in his room. With so little to do around in the school, he felt bored.

Makoto began thinking about what he should do for tomorrow. He realized that he hasn't talked to his classmates a lot. Maybe he should hang with them next. After all, he has access to 14 other students who look like he could make friends with. Okay, maybe half of those people looked like they're interested in speaking to him. There are some who don't look like they want to talk to him. But still, that's plenty of people to talk to.

Of course, Makoto can't forget about Sayaka. She really enjoys hanging out with him, even if they spent a lot of time together. It looked like she still have things that she want to say. He wondered what topics to bring up the next time he hung out with Sayaka.

As Makoto began to fall asleep, he heard some footsteps outside his door. It sounded concerning, but Makoto didn't think too much about it.


	5. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Daily Life 3)

**Day 3 - 7:00 AM**   
**Dormitory, First Floor**

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good morning everyone!" Monokuma announced. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 7:00 AM, which means that nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine, everyone! Today's going to be a beautiful day!"

Makoto sat alone in his room for the morning waiting for the morning announcement to play. He thought about how he should spend his morning. He could hang out with Sayaka, but they probably needed a little break from each other for now. There's still plenty of students who are willing to hang out with him. Makoto decided to search for such students. He went out towards the door as soon as he can.

"Good morning, Makoto," Celeste greeted as soon as Makoto opened the door.

"Wah!" Makoto screamed again. "Aw, not this again. Why do I have to be greeted by someone right as I opened a door?"

"Ahem," Celeste said as she stared a Makoto. She expected at least a greeting from Makoto.

Makoto realized that he hasn't greeted Celeste yet. "Oh, hey Celeste," he greeted. "Good morning... Hey, if you're going to wait outside my door, at least knock the door or ring the doorbell. There's no need to just stand there. By the way, why did you call everyone by their first names? Doesn't that sound a little weird? You're Japanese, correct?"

"How many times to I must say this?" Celeste asked. "My family comes from Europe. It is the custom for people in Europe and America to address others by their first name, unless they're addressing authority. Does that make sense?"

"Don't people from some countries in Europe address people differently?" Makoto asked.

Celeste ignored Makoto's question as she continued on. "Anyways, you must come with me, Makoto. There's something that I want to talk about with you."

"Are you planning to hang out with me?" Makoto asked. "Well, I am planning on hanging out with someone, but-"

"You're planning to hang out with someone else?" Celeste said. "Please don't tell me you're planning on hanging out with Sayaka. You two have spent enough time together."

"Oh, no," Makoto replied. "I'm not planning to hang out with Sayaka, at least for now. I have someone else that I want to talk to."

"If you're going to do that, then why don't you spend time with me?" Celeste suggested.

Makoto blinked for a moment. "What?" he said.

Celeste reached out and grabbed Makoto by the arm. She then began dragging him away.

"Hey! Celeste!" Makoto yelled as he tried to pull himself out of Celeste's grip. "What are you doing?!"

Right after Makoto was dragged away by Celeste, Sayaka opened up her door.

"Ah! What a nice sleep!" Sayaka said as she stretched her arms. "Now, what shall I do today?"

"Let go of me!" Makoto shouted off in the distance. "At least let me lock my door before dragging me away!"

Sayaka heard Makoto's voice. She looked at where it's coming from and saw Makoto being dragged to the dining hall by Celeste.

"You're not going anywhere," Celeste said. "Now stay with me."

Sayaka gasped as she stepped forward. She can't believe that Makoto is being taken away by some other girl. She can't help but feel a little jealous. Makoto did say that he didn't get a chance to lock his room door. Looking off to the side, Sayaka saw that Makoto's door was wide open. She could see far into his room. Sayaka became worried that someone might come in and try to steal something, but then she remembered that Makoto didn't have anything of importance in his room. His room is just has bland as her own room, ironic considering that Sayaka is a famous idol. Still, Makoto would appreciate it if nobody enters his room without his permission. Without saying a word, Sayaka closed Makoto's room and pretended that it's locked. After doing that, she went back to her door and locked it.

"Good morning, Maizono," Leon greeted.

Sayaka jumped when she heard the voice. She pulled her key out of the lock and turn towards Leon. "Oh...good morning Kuwata," she said. She couldn't help but feel a bit awkward in this situation. "Um...what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing much," Leon said. "Hey, I'm so glad that you're available now. Mind if you hang out with me? Come on, it's going to be great!"

"Uh..." Sayaka spoke. "I'm not sure. I'm planning on hanging out with someone else, just not you."

"Aw, come on," Leon said. "Don't be like that. If you're going to hang out with someone, then why don't you hang out with me? You know what, I'm taking you with me." He then grabbed Sayaka and dragged her away.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Sayaka cried as she's being dragged away.

* * *

**Day 3 - 7:07 AM**   
**Dining Room, First Floor**

Well, this is just awkward. Makoto and Sayaka found themselves sitting at the same table. On the opposite side of the table are Celeste and Leon. Neither of them are pleased with sitting next to each other.

Makoto shifted his gaze over to Sayaka. "You really don't have to do this," he whispered.

"It's not like I gave myself a choice," Sayaka whispered. "I saw you at this table, and I just have to sit right next to you."

"Look, I'm in the middle of a conversation with someone else," Makoto said. "There are plenty of tables for us to sit at. You could've chosen any one of those tables. But instead, you just had to pick this table. I am questioning what you are trying to achieve."

The entire table fell into silence for a few moments. This just makes things even more awkward for everyone.

"So...where should we start?" Leon asked, breaking the silence. "What should we talk about now that we're together?"

Celeste let out a huff of air. "I would appreciate it better if you just leave me and Makoto alone," she said, facing Sayaka. "As he said earlier, you could've chosen any other table to sit at. Instead, you chose to sit at this table. Not only would I end up having to deal with you, but now I have this lazy bum sitting next to me."

"Hey, don't call me a lazy bum!" Leon shouted.

"Do you do a lot of practice?" Makoto asked Leon.

"Nah, totally don't," Leon replied. "I find it unnecessary. I'm so good at baseball that I don't need the practice. I could just coast along just from my skill alone." He then realized that he's taking to Makoto for some reason. "Wait, since when did this happen? I thought I was hanging out with Maizono, not you, Naegi!"

"Well, you are here, Kuwata," Makoto said. "I might as well start a conversation with you too."

Sayaka hesitated before speaking. "Uh...yeah," she said. "Me too. I just...want to talk to you too, Celeste." She then nervously laughed, feeling a bit uncomfortable right now. She wished that she talked to someone else.

"Hm...I'd better make the most of my time," Celeste said. "Oh well. Guess I'll talk to you too, Sayaka, even if I don't want to talk to you. So, where shall we begin?"

"Oh! Let me go first!" Leon shouted. He faced Sayaka. "Man, Maizono. I can't believe that I'm really hanging out with you. It's been an honor to have you as my classmate!"

Sayaka looked away from Leon as she rubbed her arm. Meanwhile, Makoto stared at Leon with a puzzled look.

"Having an idol as my classmate has been one of my biggest dreams!" Leon continued. "And now, that dream has been fulfilled! Ooh, I can't contain my excitement any longer! Hey Maizono, mind if you gave me some music lessons?"

Sayaka jumped a little and looked back at Leon. She has a bewildered look on her face. "Huh? What?" she reacted. "Uh...why?"

"Well..." Leon replied. "What's a better person to teach me music than the biggest of all time? No one! I really want to learn from you, Maizono. I want to know the secrets behind your success!"

Sayaka wasn't sure if she wants to talk about that. It's an uncomfortable topic for her to talk about. She has talked about her path to success with Makoto before, but she's not sure if she's okay with talking about it with anyone else. It's probably best if she kept quiet about it.

Makoto, meanwhile, suspects that Leon is up to something. "Hold on, Kuwata," he began. "You're not planning to change your talent, aren't you? I mean, I'll get it if you want to practice music as a hobby. But changing your talent entirely? That's...on a whole new level. You're already a professional baseball player, so why do you want to change your talent?"

"Come on! Haven't you listened to me?" Leon said. "I'm done with baseball! I don't want to practice baseball anymore, and I don't want to play it. Music is my new passion now. I want to become the Ultimate Musician instead. If I want to become the Ultimate Musician, I want the Ultimate Idol to train me!

Celeste giggled at what's going on. "Really, now?" she said, talking to Leon. "You want the Ultimate Idol to train you on becoming the Ultimate Musician? Don't make me laugh. I can assure you that it'll not end well for you."

Leon quickly turned around and faced Celeste. "What? Why?" he asked.

Makoto leaned forward closer to Leon. "Tell me, Kuwata," he said. "I just want to know. If you're really going to be the Ultimate Musician, what genre of music do you want to play?"

Leon didn't take long to come up with an answer. "Oh, that's easy!" he said. "I wanna play punk music! No, no. Maybe rock music. Or maybe both! Yeah, that's gotta be it. So please, Maizono. Teach me on how to become a musician. It's going to be so fun learning from you!"

Makoto and Sayaka turned towards each other for a moment and silently agreed that this is a bad idea. They soon turned back at Leon.

"Look, Kuwata," Sayaka began. "I know that you wanted to quit baseball and get into the music industry. If that's what you want, then go for it. However, you need to consider what genre of music I specialize in before asking me to teach you music."

"What are you talking about, Maizono?" Leon asked. "All musicians play all kinds of music, right?"

Sayaka shook her head. "No, that's not right," she said. "I'm an idol, a pop idol to be exact. I play music that appeals to the masses. I also have a reputation to maintain. I can't afford to listen or play genres of music that are known for their...questionable lyrics and content. If I'm caught doing that, my reputation would be ruined..."

"Aw, don't be like that!" Leon said. "I'm sure you enjoy listening to punk music in private. What about you, Naegi? What kind of music do you like to listen to?"

Makoto let out a sigh. "Look, if you ask me what kind of music I like to listen to, I would say music that is currently popular," he said. "I'm not into music that appeals to niche groups of people. They're not for me."

Celeste let out a little giggle before giving her answer. "If you ask me, I'll say classical music," she said. "Classic music are so calm, so elegant, and so timeless. They're not the garbage music that all of you listen to."

"Hey! Don't call my music garbage!" Sayaka shouted, flaring up in anger. "I put in a lot of effort into my own music! Also, all kinds of music can be good! They're not all garbage!"

"You're being defensive over your own art, aren't you?" Celeste asked. "Well, I appreciate your efforts but they will soon all be for nothing."

Sayaka started to become frightened. "Huh? Why?" she said. "What are you saying?"

"You pop stars are stuck in a cycle," Celeste began. "You're always picked up at a young age, transformed by others into a marketable figure. You become an icon for millions of fans to follow. You sing songs just to appeal to them. And then, just when you're about to reach the peak of your career, you are tossed away to make way for the next generation. Soon, all of your music and accomplishments will be forgotten. You will have gained all that fame for nothing."

Sayaka developed a blank look on her face. Celeste has brought up something that she's terrified of: she's afraid of being abandoned and forgotten, of letting all of efforts go to waste. She's talked about this with Makoto before, but having someone else bring this up isn't any better. Soon, Sayaka began shivering. She leaned over to Makoto and clung to him like he's her lifeline.

"Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto said. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Maizono, what's gotten into you?" Leon asked. "If you're going to do that, then why don't you do it with me?"

Sayaka tightened her grip on Makoto and shivered even faster.

"Oh? What's this?" Celeste said. "Oh, I see. You're clinging on Makoto. You know, this is a representation of your relationship with him, Sayaka. You hog Makoto to have him all to yourselves, never letting anyone else take him. And that's making him not feel good. If you would just let him go for a moment and let some of us hang out with him, then he'll feel better.

Sayaka tightened her grip on Makoto even more. She begun shaking violently.

"Please! Sayaka!" Makoto wheezed as he tried to pry himself free of Sayaka. "Let...go...of...me! I...can't...breathe!"

Makoto felt like his life was being squeezed away. If Sayaka doesn't stop, he'll surely die, and Sayaka will become the blackened for (unintentionally) killing him. She's doing it in front of witnesses, which meant that she didn't get away with her accidental murder. If this happens...who knows what will happen to her. Makoto is beginning to black out. He felt that his life is escaping his body.

"Hey! What's going on?!" someone shouted.

Sayaka heard the voice and immediately loosened her grip on Makoto. This was enough for Makoto to catch himself some breaths.

Leon looked towards the doorway and found one of his classmates. "Oh, hey Ishimaru," he greeted. "What brings you here? Are you here for breakfast?"

Kiyotaka saw what was going on and gasped. "What happened here?" he asked. He ran up to Makoto and Sayaka to check on them.

"Ugh, my chest," Makoto groaned, feeling dizzy from the lack of air. "It feels like my life was being squeezed out..."

Kiyotaka turned around and faced Sayaka. "Maizono!" he shouted. "What did you do to Naegi? You almost killed him by depriving him of oxygen!"

Sayaka was shocked that she almost killed someone. "I-I did that?!" she gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Makoto. I didn't mean to! I just..." She couldn't bring herself to talk anymore.

Kiyotaka began to inspect Makoto. "Are you hurt?" he asked. "Are you okay? We need to get you to Dr. Matsuda as soon as we can." He then turned around and looked at the two students that are sitting at the opposite side of the table. "You two! What did you do?"

"Uh, nothing!" Leon replied. "We just talked to these two. That's all."

Celeste didn't say anything. She just stared at Leon with a disapproving look.

Kiyotaka grabbed Makoto and began to escort him out of the dining room. "Hang in there, Naegi," he said. "I'm taking you to Dr. Matsuda." He then left the dining room along with Makoto.

"Hey!" Sayaka shouted as she stood up. "Wait for me!" She then chased after Kiyotaka and Makoto.

"Maizono, wait!" Leon shouted as he jumped from his seat. He reached out and attempted to stop Sayaka, but it was too late.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Celeste remarked. "This did not go the way I intended. If only things had gone how I planned. That idol showing up with you is what ruined my conversation with Makoto. Oh well. Guess we can do that some other time...if none of us die."

"Aw man..." Leon groaned as he sulked and shook his head. "Why do things have to be this way?"

* * *

**Day 3 - 7:40 AM  
Infirmary, First Floor**

Dr. Yasuke Matsuda finished checking up Makoto. He walked up to Sayaka to tell the results.

"Naegi is fine," Yasuke said. "Don't worry too much about him. You didn't hurt him much."

Sayaka was little confused by the results. "Huh? Makoto isn't hurt?" she asked. "But...I thought...I thought I nearly killed him."

Yasuke shook his head. "Not exactly," he said. "If you were to grab Naegi by the neck, that would cause problems. You would constrict his windpipe, depriving him of oxygen. But you grabbed Naegi by the chest, where the ribs are. There shouldn't be any problems in that case."

"It feels like there's a tight feeling in my chest..." Makoto said.

"Well, at least he's fine," Sayaka said. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"I'm going to the dining hall and get myself some breakfast," Yasuke said as he walked towards the door. "Don't touch anything while I'm gone. And if you're still hungry, you can always come to the dining room. See you later." He then opened the door and walked out of the room.

After Yasuke left, Makoto hopped off the medical bed and walked up to Sayaka. "Well, that conversation didn't go the way I expected," he said. "I knew you shouldn't have joined me and Celeste. You should've gone to a different table."

"I know," Sayaka replied. "I just couldn't resist."

Makoto sighed. "You know, I think Celeste has a point," he said. "We've been spending an awful lot of time together. Look, I know how much you want to hang around with me, but we should take a break from each other someday. I feel like we're getting too close too fast."

"It sure does feel that way," Sayaka replied. "You know, I feel like my conversation with Kuwata isn't going to end well anyways. I don't know. He just...makes me uncomfortable...even though I only knew him for a few days."

"Is it because Kuwata is...a bit too obsessed over you?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka shook her head. "Maybe," she replied. "But...as soon as I met Kuwata...I feel like I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. I don't get it."

"We haven't gotten around into getting to know our classmates, haven't we?" Makoto asked. "How about we go do that right after breakfast?"

Sayaka silently nodded her head.

"Alright, good," Makoto said. "But let's avoid Celeste and Kuwata if we can. I feel like they're way too obsessed with us. Why don't we talk with someone else instead?"

"Yeah..." Sayaka replied. "Let's go do that."

Makoto and Sayaka exited the infirmary and made their way to the dining room.

* * *

 **Day 3 - 7:48 AM**  
Dining Room, First Floor

As usual, the dining hall is full of students. Some of them are talking to each other while they're eating breakfast. Others prefer to sit and enjoy their breakfast alone. Yasuke is walking out performing health surveys with the students.

Makoto and Sayaka walked into the room. Leon was excited at first and tried to get Sayaka's attention. But Sayaka just walked by Leon without saying a word to him. Feeling disappointed, Leon sat right back down and continued to eat his meal. He watched as Makoto and Sayaka enter the kitchen to get food.

Yasuke was not having too much trouble recording the data off his peers. He got what he asked for off of the students and recorded the data in his journal. It be a bit difficult for some people, but he got the data eventually. Then he reached Hiro, who is holding a glass ball for some reason.

"Hiro...what is that?" Yasuke said as he stared at the object Hiro is holding.

Hiro looked up at Yasuke. "Oh, hey Matsuda!" he greeted. "Are you interested in this crystal ball? It's really neat!"

Yasuke grew suspicious of Hiro. "Crystal...ball?" he said with a puzzled look.

"Yeah!" Hiro said. "It really is a crystal ball! Trust me! You should hold it with your own hands. It's nice to the touch!" He then offered up his crystal ball up to Yasuke.

Yasuke leered at Hiro. "Do you really believe in this crap?" he asked.

"Hey! Don't call it crap!" Hiro shouted. "Crystal balls are beautiful! Don't you agree?"

"Get that pseudoscience crap out of my sight!" Yasuke yelled as he prepared to slap the crystal ball out of Hiro's hands.

"Yasuke!" Junko cried as she leapt and grabbed Yasuke's arm.

"Ah! Don't hit it!" Hiro screamed. "This crystal ball is expensive! Do you realize how much I've spent into this crystal ball? 1 billion yen!"

This turned everyone's attention at Hiro, except for Makoto and Sayaka. They just exited the kitchen carrying a tray of food. They stopped for a moment when they heard the commotion going on at one of the tables. They decided to ignore it and walked towards one of the tables to have their breakfast.

"N-No way," Hina said. "That thing costs that much?"

"Unbelievable..." Leon said. "You could probably exchange that for a house if it's really worth that much!"

Byakuya and Natsumi scoffed at the crystal ball. They weren't convinced by Hiro that the crystal ball he is holding is genuine.

"Really? A crystal ball costs that much?" Natsumi asked. "It doesn't even look that expensive! It's probably a fake. There's no way that this crystal ball crap is real."

"Indeed," Byakuya said. "There's no way that a commoner like this shady guy could afford such an expensive item if it was really worth that much. Therefore, it must be fake."

"It's not a fake, and it's not crap!" Hiro insisted. "I'm telling you guys! This thing's real! Do you realize how priceless this thing is? It's a one-of-a-kind artifact! This thing is found at the ruins of Atlantis, at the bottom of an ocean! It was passed on to many famous people in history. This very ball has been held by Napoleon, George Washington, and even Genghis Khan himself!"

Hiro lost most of his audience when he told them that the crystal ball was found at Atlantis. To most people, Atlantis is nothing more than an ancient legend that's never been proven to be true. Meanwhile, Yasuke grew angrier at Hiro.

"What?! Huh?!" Yasuke exclaimed, looking baffled at Hiro's claims. "How?! How did that crystal ball manage to reach the hands of that many famous people? Those men are spread vastly around the world. Do you really think that a crystal ball could make its way from the depths of an ocean to ancient China, and then cross all the way around the world to America, and then all the way back to France? I-I just... This is too much! I can't handle this anymore!"

Junko patted Yasuke on the back. "Calm down, Yasuke," she said. "Don't listen to Hiro too much. He's nothing more than a con artist who exploits the foolish to make money."

"Hey!" Hiro shouted. "Stop saying that I exploit the foolish or whatever. That's not what I do to make my money!"

Yasuke gives up on trying to talk to Hiro. This guy is too much trouble to get health data. He's already encountered problems when he tried to talk to him, and now Hiro is pushing him back further. Instead, Yasuke finished it off with a menacing stare.

"Take that pseudoscience shit and throw it away," Yasuke said threateningly. "I don't want to see it anymore and I don't want you to talk about it any more." He then walked away, with Junko following him.

Hiro took a look back at his crystal ball and found a worrying scene. He turned right back at Yasuke and tried to get his attention. "Um, doctor?" he said. "I have some bad news about your future. You might want to come here and see it."

Yasuke stopped and quickly turned around and stared at Hiro with an even more menacing look. "Don't. Say it. Understand?" he said, putting emphasis on every word.

Hiro was intimidated by Yasuke. "A-Alright," he promised. "No more fortunes. Got it."

Yasuke groaned as he walked away to a table to have breakfast with Junko.

* * *

**Day 3 - 9:00 AM  
Dormitory Hallway, First Floor**

"Ugh...so bored..." Junko said as she played with her hair while walking down the hallway. "There's nothing I can do. Why couldn't Yasuke just do something with me? Isn't there anyone that I could talk to?"

"Enoshima!" Makoto shouted as he ran up to Junko.

"Oh, hey Naegi," Junko greeted. "What's up? I see that the idol isn't with you anymore."

"Oh, Sayaka?" Makoto said. "Yeah, we decided to go our separate ways for now to talk to some of the other students. We figured that we should get to know our classmates better, and I'm starting with you, Enoshima."

"Ah, really?" Junko said. "How exciting! So, where should we start? Come on. Make it exciting."

Makoto thought about what he should say to Junko. "So...Enoshima?" he began. "About Dr. Matsuda. He did say that you were childhood friends with him, right? So, how did you know him?"

"You're talking about that doctor?" Junko asked. "Well, I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't really know him all that well. I mean, don't get me wrong. We are childhood friends, but that's as far as I could remember."

"...Well that's disappointing," Makoto remarked.

"Yeah...it really is disappointing," Junko replied. "Hey, you know what? Why don't you pay my Yasuke a visit? I'm sure he's so excited to see you!"

"What?" Makoto said. "But...we just started talking."

"Doesn't matter," Junko replied. "I have nothing more to say to you. Just go already!"

Makoto wasn't sure if he wanted to do this, but he do what Junko told him to do. "...Fine," he said. He then walked away from Junko.

After Makoto left, Junko turned around and sighed. "That was a boring conversation," she said. "I didn't get to talk much. We should've agreed on a better topic before starting." She then felt a presence behind her. She wondered who it is. She turned around and found Sayaka waiting for her, much to her surprise. "Ah!"

"Oh...hey Enoshima," Sayaka greeted.

"Hey! Don't scare me like that!" Junko shouted.

"Sorry..." Sayaka apologized. "I just wanted to talk to you. That's all."

"Hang on," Junko said. "Where did you come from?"

"I just visited Dr. Matsuda," Sayaka replied.

"You visited Yasuke?!" Junko shouted. She then realized that she and Yasuke traded Makoto and Sayaka, which meant that Yasuke is stuck with Makoto. "Why did I do that? I sent Naegi up to him and now he's sent you to me."

"Oh, that's what happened?" Sayaka asked. "I was wondering why I passed by Makoto on the way to you."

Junko then shook her head to clear her mind. "We're getting off track here," she said. "So, Maizono, is there anything you want to talk about? Please don't bring up Yasuke. I don't have much to say about him."

"Why?" Sayaka asked.

"I said pick a different topic!" Junko shouted.

"Oh..." Sayaka realized. She then tried to come up with a different topic. "Um...Enoshima...you ate a surprisingly amount of food for breakfast."

Junko played around with her hair. "Yeah, I really did," she said. "If I don't eat enough, then I won't be able to move my body."

"That's true," Sayaka replied. "Models like you need stamina, and your body can suffer if you don't get proper nutrition. But the amount of food you have eaten has made me worried. How are you able to remain so skinny? And why hasn't Dr. Matsuda objected against the amount of food you're eating?"

"Oh, I just wear heavy duty boots and run five kilometers daily," Junko replied. "As for you second question, don't worry too much. Yasuke is used to me eating large amounts of food. And besides, he isn't the Ultimate Nutritionist. He's the Ultimate Neurologist."

"Wait, wait, wait," Sayaka said, feeling like Junko has said something strange. "Go back for a moment. What did you just say?"

"Huh? I just said that Yasuke isn't the Ultimate Nutritionist," Junko replied. "I said that he is the Ultimate Neurologist."

"No, I know that already," Sayaka said. "I meant further before that."

"What do you want to hear?" Junko asked. "Do you meant that Yasuke is used to me eating large amounts of food?"

"Before that," Sayaka said.

"What?" Junko said.

"Earlier."

"Huh?"

"Earlier."

"I don't get what you're saying."

Sayaka sighed as she gave up with trying to get what Junko had just said. "Never mind," she said. "Forget about it. Anyways, it's been fun talking to you, Enoshima. I'm glad that I did this."

"Me too!" Junko replied. "I'm tried of speaking with the same person over and over again. Talking to other people has been a nice change of pace."

Sayaka smiled, feeling a little better from talking to her classmates. "Well, I better get going," she said. "See you soon!" She then walked away from Junko, moving on to another person.

"Bye now!" Junko said as she waved goodbye to Sayaka. She then became bored again. It was a relief that her secret didn't slip through, but she feared that it might fail her one day. Her hair is starting to slip a little. She wondered how long she could maintain this.

* * *

**Day 3 - 10:00 PM**   
**Dormitory, First Floor  
**

Makoto and Sayaka had a lot of fun talking to their classmates and peers today. They didn't get to hang out with everyone, either because they didn't have enough time or they weren't being friendly. Still, they did manage to talk to several students. They learned a lot about their classmate from doing this. For example, they learned that Hina wears lighter clothes when the weather gets cold (kind of the opposite of what most people would do).

After talking to their classmates, Makoto and Sayaka met together again to exchange what they've got from the classmates they talked to. Doing this, they learn even more things about their classmates. This is really exciting stuff and they wanted to do this again. However, no one has died since the killing game began. They suspect that Monokuma is growing impatient and will try to do something to force a death to happen. Someone might end up dying soon, and if that happens, they will never get another chance to hang out with that person again.

Once Makoto and Sayaka are done with the day, they headed back to their dorm rooms before the nighttime announcement could play.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good evening, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun. Sleep tight, everyone. And don't let the bedbugs bite."

Makoto wasn't sure how much time he and Sayaka have left. Their last opportunity to hang out with someone might've just passed. He worried that someone who he and Sayaka never hung out with might die. He worried that someone that he and Sayaka had talked to at least once might die. He worried that he or Sayaka might die. Makoto worried about all of them as he began to sleep through the night. It kept him awake for far longer than usual. No matter how worried he gets, his drowsiness will win the battle. Makoto soon fell asleep, though much later than usual.

* * *

**Day 3 - Unknown Time**   
**Unknown Location**

"I'm forced...I'm forced to watch my classmates kill each other. It hasn't happened yet, but I have a feeling that it will happen. Someone's going to snap. Someone's going to kill someone else soon, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it from happening."

"..."

"I...I want to stop this. I want to stop them from dying. I want to stop them from killing each other. I really want to do this. I want everyone to work together to end this cruel game of life and death. I want everyone to work together to escape this school...and free me."

"..."

"But I can't stop this. I can't stop them from killing each other. It's all because I'm trapped here, forced to watch this killing game unfold before my eyes. Someone has trapped me in here, away from everyone else."

"..."

"I want someone to get me out of this place. This place is a paradise, a palace of luxury. But it's also a prison, a prison where I can't leave unless someone from the outside world frees me. The outside world is also a prison, a prison where someone must kill to escape...or die trying. It's a cruel world, and I don't want anyone else to suffer from it."

"..."

"Please...someone...free me..."

* * *

**Day 4 - 7:00 AM**   
**Dormitory, First Floor**

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 7:00 AM, which means that nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine, everyone! Today's going to be a beautiful day!"

Makoto woke up feeling drowsier than usual. He must've not slept for a long as he's used to. And the footsteps outside his door...Makoto suspected that someone was patrolling outside. That someone is preventing him from fully falling asleep. Makoto wished that whoever is doing that would stop. They're only making it more difficult for him and everyone else.

*Ding dong!*

Makoto heard the bell sound in his room. It was different from the bell sound that plays before the school announcement. It must've been the doorbell, which means that someone is right outside his door.

"...Who is it?" Makoto said as he got off his bed and walked to the door. He was a bit wobbly. Maybe he should've slept in for a few minutes longer. He opened the door to see who's waiting for him.

"Good morning...Naegi," Kiyotaka greeted. He sounded more nervous than usual.

"Oh...it's you, Ishimaru," Makoto replied. "So you've finally decided to ring my doorbell for once."

"Look, that's not the point," Kiyotaka said. "I know I have planned this meeting a few days ago, but this feels urgent. I need you to get to the dining room as soon as you can."

Makoto looked a bit confused for a moment. "Huh? Why?" he asked.

"Haven't you listened to me?" Kiyotaka said, sounding a bit frustrated. "We're holding a meeting right now! Wake up already! I need everyone to be in the dining room as soon as possible!"

"R-Right..." Makoto replied. He then made his way to the dining room as Kiyotaka continued to wake everyone else up.


	6. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Daily Life 4)

**Day 4 - 7:15 AM**   
**Dining Room, First Floor**

All of the students found themselves in the dining hall, with most of them sitting at the central table. Most of them are staring at Kiyotaka, waiting for him to say something. He did drag everyone here for a meeting, so they did expect some things to be said. Instead, all they got was silence. Pure, unsettling silence. Kiyotaka has his eyes closed, as if he's still thinking about what he wants to say.

"So, what now?" Natsumi asked. "What's with the silence? Don't tell me that this is a waste of everyone's time."

Leon sighed. "You could've at least had something to say," he said. "What's the point of a meeting if you don't have anything to say?"

Byakuya shook his head in disapproval. "This is a waste of my time," he said. "I see no point in holding this meeting. I'm getting out. There is no reason for me to stay here." He then stood up and attempted to leave, but then Toko latched onto him.

"M-Master Togami!" Toko begged. "D-Don't leave me!"

Byakuya glared at Toko menacingly. "Let. Go. Of. Me," he ordered.

Kiyotaka then started shaking and making grunting sounds.

Yasuke took this as a sign that Kiyotaka is about to say something. He briefly turned towards Byakuya. "Hey, Ishimaru is about to say something!" he said. "Stay here."

Byakuya took a look at Kiyotaka. Then he turned towards Yasuke. He out a huff of air. "Fine," he said. "I'll stay here, but only if you pry this miserable pile of bones and flesh off my leg. She's nothing but a parasite."

Toko was disturbingly excited about the way Byakuya treated her. Yasuke and Junko took an awkward look at each other for a moment. Even though they were freaked out by the way Toko is behaving, she's still their classmate and they have to look out for each other. The two decided to help get Toko to let go of Byakuya.

Kiyotaka continued to make a few more grunting sounds before letting out a big groan. He then slammed both of his hands on the table as he delivered his speech. "This is ridiculous!" he shouted.

"Ugh, finally!" Natsumi said as she rolled her eyes. "Took you long enough, and you've started off weak. What do you mean 'ridiculous'? What are you talking about? The situation we're in right now?"

Kiyotaka curled his hands into a fist as his frustrations increased. "I can't believe that we wasted our time doing nothing," he said. "We are trapped in this school where the only way out is to kill someone. We are supposed to find a way to escape, to find clues about how we got here. We are supposed to do that, and yet we haven't done anything!"

"What do you mean we've done nothing?" Makoto asked. "We did get a chance to talk to our classmates and get to know them a little better."

"We did have a lot of fun hanging out with others," Sayaka added. "Are you calling that nothing?"

"No, no, no!" Kiyotaka replied. "That's not what I meant. Making friends is a normal part of a school experience, but we're not having a normal school experience. We are supposed to find a way to escape this place, and yet we've done nothing! We have wasted three days doing nothing towards getting of here. We've done nothing about finding out who's responsible for this! I can't believe that we wasted all this time for nothing. Is there anything else we could do?!"

Silence began to fill the entire room. Nobody has any idea about what to do next. The school has left them with nothing to do. There's nothing that any of them could do. Well, all except for one.

"Why are all of you guys wasting your time trying to escape?" Celeste questioned. "Shouldn't it be obvious by now? There are no ways to escape this school unless we try to take someone's life. There is only one way that this could end: someone is going to die."

The entire room was stunned by what Celeste is saying. Everyone tried to forget what Celeste is saying. They tried to live their life in this school the best way they can. But no matter how much they tried to forget, Celeste will always bring this fact up: that someone will die soon.

"Does everyone understand this?" Celeste asked. "If you can't stop yourself from showing weakness to others, you will die. I have said this before, and I will say it again. If you can't adapt to the situation, you will not survive. Our best option right now is to adapt. Isn't it clear?"

"What the hell?!" Junko shouted. "Have you gone completely insane? There's no way to escape, the only way to survive is to adapt, what the hell are you even saying? Do you even know what you're talking about?!"

Yasuke went up to Junko and calmed her down. "Now there, Junko," he said. "Don't let Celeste get to you, alright?"

Junko slapped Yasuke away from her. "Get your hands off me, Yasuke!" she shouted. "I'm not living the rest of my life trapped in this hellhole. I'm getting out of this place as soon as I can!"

"Yeah!" Mondo shouted. "I agree with that chick! I'm not staying in this place anymore. I don't want to play this shitty game anymore!"

Celeste then let out a giggle. "Oh? You want to escape?" she asked. "Then go right ahead and try to escape. I wouldn't be surprised if you die trying. Oh, and corn head? Remember that time where you attacked Monokuma and nearly got yourself killed?"

Mondo cringed upon being call that name again. He was infuriated. "Oh no, not you too!" he groaned.

"Hey! Enough with this, Celeste!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I don't want anyone to pick on Mondo again!"

"Owada," Mondo corrected.

Kiyotaka was done with this mistake. "You know what?" he began to declare. "Enough with calling each other by our last names. I'm so tired of addressing people by their first names by accident. From now on, we all have to address each other by our first names only!"

The room fell into an awkward silence. Most of the students aren't sure if they're okay with this change. They're used to calling each other by their last names. It's how most Japanese people address each other in general. Being forced to address each other by their first names when they only knew each other for a few days sounded...weird. This will take a few days to get used to.

"So...now what?" Leon asked. "Nobody's got anything about this?"

"Oh, I know one thing about this," Hina said. "Whoever's trapped us in here and forcing us to kill each other is totally messed up. There's no way that a sane person would set all of this up."

"But the question is, who would set this up?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe we're trapped in an endless cycle of pain and misery," Hiro guessed. "Whoever's doing that must be the one who trapped us in this school."

"Oh, shut up already!" Leon shouted at Hiro. "There's no way what you just said was true!"

"Hey, it's only a prediction!" Hiro insisted. "There's still a 70% chance that it might not come true at all! By the way, here's a fortune for you! You're going to die in a confusing mess!"

"Enough with your stupid predictions!" Natsumi shouted, fed up with Hiro's predictions. "By the way, don't we have our friends and families to worry about? We have some outside this school."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Hina replied. "Some of us do have family outside this school, right? We've been stuck in here for a few days. We weren't able to contact our families. They're probably worried about us at this point. I bet they called the police and sent them to rescue us!"

"Phuhuhu, I don't think so," a voice said from somewhere.

Everyone jumped upon hearing that voice. They recognized it. They got a bad feeling about this.

Hina, on the other hand, was confused at first. "Huh? Who just laughed?" she asked. "Was it you, Celeste?"

"It wasn't me," Celeste said. "Trust me. I'm telling the truth."

"No you're not!" Hina said. "You're lying! You're doing that to hide the fact that you laughed!"

"Oh no..." Mondo said as he became frozen in fear. "Not him again..."

Hina turned towards Mondo wondering what he's talking about. "What?" she said. "Him?"

Monokuma suddenly appeared in front of everyone. "Seriously?" he said. "You're putting your faith in the police to come rescue you?"

"Gah!" Hiro gasped. "It's him!"

"Why are you so scared about this bear?" Natsumi asked. "We've seen him several times already!"

"Bastard!" Sakura roared.

Monokuma then let out another laugh. "Honestly, do I really have to remind you about this again?" he said. "There is no way that you could get help from the outside world. Try all you can, but the outside world will never hear your pleads for help. If you really want to get out, all you have to do is kill someone and get away with it. It's that simple!"

"Murder is not simple!" Yasuke shouted. "It's morally wrong! Do you realize how much of a sick bastard you have to be to kill someone?"

Monokuma laughed out once again. "Oh, doctor," he said. "You're supposed to be smart, but you're still naive at some things. It doesn't take much for someone to try to murder someone else."

"What?" Yasuke reacted.

"The threshold for murder is that low?" Junko asked.

Monokuma let out a sigh. "You know, things have been boring around here lately," he said. "It's only been a few days since we started this killing game, and yet nobody has killed each other. It's so boring, seeing you kids walking around and working together. I have the perfect solution to get rid of that boredom."

"There's nothing you can do to make us kill each other, Monokuma," Makoto said. "Even if some of us don't get along, we'll still find a way to work together and find a way out of this place."

"Y-Yeah! There's no way you can make us to murder each other," Sayaka added. "We will stick together!"

"I won't tolerate murder in a school environment," Kiyotaka said. "None of us are willing to kill each other! There's nothing you can do that will change that!"

Monokuma stared at the trio of students that stood up to him and laughed at them. "Really, now?" he said with doubt. "Do you really think that nobody is willing to kill each other. Phuhuhu, well I'm sorry to say, but your peace times are running out."

"What?" Makoto, Sayaka, and Kiyotaka all said at the same time.

"Aw, how cute," Monokuma remarked. "It appears that you're all in unison. But you won't stop me from making you guys kill each other. Let me get make this clear. Behind every murder, behind every crime, there is a motive. It doesn't matter how big or small that motive is, it's still a motive. If I want to make you guys kill each other, I'll have to give you a motive."

"Didn't you already give us a motive to kill?" Yasuke asked. "If we kill someone and successfully got away with it, then we get to leave this school. Isn't that right?"

"Ah, you remembered, doctor," Monokuma said. "Yes, that's exactly right. However, I feel like that's not enough of a motive to get you kids to kill each other. No, you kids need an additional motive on top of that."

"Oh yeah?" Junko said. "And what's that?"

Monokuma laughed once again. "You did mention that you have friends and families outside this school, correct?" he asked. "Well, I have prepared a very special video for you guys. Head to the A/V Room to see your video."

"A/V Room?!" Hina shouted as her face turned red. "W-What the heck is that room? Where is it?"

"What?!" Monokuma shouted. "You haven't stepped foot into the A/V Room even once? This school has an A/V Room! You've got to see it!"

"The A/V Room is located near the classrooms," Kyoko answered. "I took a look inside once. It's exactly what it sounds like."

Everyone turned their attention to Kyoko. She's been rather quiet during the course of the entire killing game, so it surprised everyone when she spoke.

"Ah, finally you've spoken for once," Monokuma said. "It took you long enough to say something. Anyways, you'll find a video in the A/V Room made for you guys. Don't worry, it's not a dirty adult video or anything like that. It's just an innocent video."

"A video for what?" Hifumi asked.

"Oh, you know," Monokuma replied. "Just a special video showing the outside world."

Everyone gasped upon hearing that the videos are about the outside world. Some of them are excited, but others had doubts.

"The outside world...?" Makoto said. "What are you talking about?"

"Just get to the A/V Room right now and watch your videos," Monokuma ordered. "If you really want to know what's going on in the outside world, then you'd better watch your videos. Go ahead. Do it. I won't stop you. Well, that's enough for me to say for now. Bye now!" He then disappeared, leaving everyone very confused.

"...He's gone," Sayaka said. "And he left before we could learn anything useful."

"What should we do now?" Hina asked. "Monokuma did say that he has a video for us to watch."

"That's true," Mondo said. "But...I'm worried about something."

"What are you worried about?" Yasuke asked.

Mondo hesitated before saying his answer. "This...this might be a trap," he said.

"Are you sure this is a trap?" Natsumi asked. "It doesn't sound like Monokuma set a trap for us."

Yasuke pondered on what the group should do for a moment. "I'm not sure what's going on in the A/V Room," he said. "But...just in case it turns out to be a trap, we need to send someone else to check."

"Really now?" Junko asked. "We're sending someone to the A/V Room to check? Okay. So...who are we going to send?"

Everyone looked around the room for a moment as they picked who they want to send to check the A/V Room. It took a few moments, but most of them laid their eyes on Makoto.

Makoto pointed to himself, wondering if he's being picked. "...Me?" he asked.

Mondo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, of course," he said. "It's gotta be you, Naegi! Err...Makoto. Err...what do I call you again?"

"First names, Mondo," Kiyotaka reminded.

"Oh, right," Mondo realized. "So Makoto, we're having you check the A/V Room to see if it's a trap or not. We're all counting on you."

Makoto wasn't comfortable with taking this job. He tried to beg everyone to change their minds. "Wait, wait, wait!" he said. "I-I don't think you should be sending me to check suspicious places. Maybe we should send Kiyotaka instead. Isn't that right?"

Kiyotaka stared at Makoto and shook his head. "Look, Makoto," he said. "I'm the leader here, and it's important for everyone if I survive for as long as possible. Without a leader, society would crumble. I can't afford to take risks that will end my life. So that's why you have to check that room for us. Got it?"

It took some convincing, but Makoto agreed with his classmates. "Fine, I'll go," he said. He was about to leave the dining hall, but was stopped by Sayaka who grabbed him before he could make a few steps.

"Wait!" Sayaka cried as she pulled Makoto closer to her. "What if the A/V Room is a trap designed to kill whoever steps foot into it? If Makoto goes in there alone, there will be no one to report the findings back! It's not safe for anyone to walk around this place alone. Someone needs to accompany him!"

"Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto said. "Would you please let me go!"

"Hmm...good idea," Kiyotaka said after thinking about it. "Things are about to get dangerous. We can't allow anyone to go alone at this time. We need a companion to watch our backs at all times. Alright, Sayaka. You and Makoto head to the A/V Room. If only one of you makes it back, then we know what happened to the other."

Sayaka was surprised by the decision. "Huh? Why me?" she asked.

"Just go ahead already!" Kiyotaka said. "Stop wasting our time. We're all counting on you two!"

Makoto and Sayaka feel a bit awkward about walking to the A/V Room together. They already spent so much time together over the past few days. They're not in the mood to go together. But if that's what everyone wants, then so be it. They walked out of the dining room together, staying close to each other at all times.

After Makoto and Sayaka left, Kiyotaka made an announcement. "Alright, everyone," he said. "Until Makoto and Sayaka return, I don't want to see anyone leave this room. We can't just wander around anymore. Understand?"

* * *

**Day 4 - 8:20 AM**   
**Hallway, First Floor**

Sayaka kept her arms on Makoto as they walked to the A/V Room. The air is starting to feel cold around them as they closer to their destination. They found the door to the A/V Room just around the corner from the classrooms. Nobody had stepped foot into that room since they woke up in this school. That room might possibly be the strangest room they have ever encountered. Why would Hope's Peak Academy allowed such a room to be in this building? Nobody knows for sure, and it's probably best if they don't think about it too much.

Makoto and Sayaka stared at the door to the A/V Room for a moment before they entered. Sayaka shivered as she stared into that door. She has a bad feeling about this.

"Makoto...are you sure this is a trap?" Sayaka asked. "I-I'm scared. I don't want to go into that room..."

Makoto was silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts. "I'm not sure about that," he said. "Monokuma might be crazy, but I don't think he's preventing us from entering this room. He might want us to enter this room, but I don't think it's a trap. Then again...he might be tricking us.

Sayaka shivered even more. "What should we do?" she asked.

Makoto took a deep breath as he gathered up the courage to enter the room. "Sayaka, we're going in," he said. "Stay back just in case it's a trap."

Sayaka didn't want to do this, but she let go of Makoto for just a brief moment. Makoto stepped towards the door and opened it up. He took a look inside. It doesn't look like there's a trap in that room. Knowing that the coast is clear, Makoto signaled Sayaka to come in with him. She hesitated for a moment before entering the room with her friend.

The A/V Room looks more like a computer room than...whatever an A/V Room is supposed to be, with several rows of computers. Makoto and Sayaka have never stepped foot into an A/V Room before, but based on the name alone they guessed that it has something to do with videos having...adult content...which neither of them are interested in. For some odd reason, the computers looked like they're decades old. For being the most prestigious school in the world, they would expect Hope's Peak to have the latest computers with cutting edge technology. There is also a projector in the room pointing to a blank white wall. So yeah, this room definitely looks like it could be the computer room. Why was it called the A/V Room? They have no idea.

On top of one of the computers is an open cardboard box. Makoto and Sayaka took a look inside and found several disks in cases. Each disk has a different name written on them. Makoto read the names and recognized them as the names of his classmates.

"Hold on, the videos are in disks?" Sayaka asked. "And those names...does that suggest that those disks belong to our classmates?"

"That must be it," Makoto replied. "Our disks must be in there somewhere. I need to take a look." He then searched the cardboard box to look for his own disk.

Sayaka took a step towards the door. "I'll be back in a moment, Makoto," she said. "I'm going to the dining room to get everyone, okay?"

"Make it quick," Makoto said.

Sayaka ran out the room as Makoto continued to search the box.

* * *

**Day 4 - 8:27 AM  
Dining Room, First Floor  
**

The rest of the students are talking to each other as they wait for Makoto and Sayaka to come back. Sayaka then burst into the room. She looked panicked and out of breath.

"Ah! Sayaka!" Kiyotaka said. "There you are-" He then noticed that someone is missing. "Wait, where's Makoto? Didn't you go out with him? What happened to him? Is he dead?"

"Makoto...he's fine," Sayaka replied. "He's in the A/V Room now. We found something in there. You all need to get there now!" She then ran out the dining hall, leaving everyone confused for a moment.

"What...just happened?" Junko asked.

"Yeah, Sayaka just ran in and then immediately ran right back out," Leon said. "I was so disappointed. I was hoping that she would stay here for a bit longer."

"Focus!" Kiyotaka ordered. "We can't get distracted by trivial things. If Makoto is fine, then that means that the A/V Room is not a trap. We should get going as soon as we can. Everyone, follow me! We're going to the A/V Room!"

Everyone marched out of the dining room and headed towards the A/V Room, with Kiyotaka leading the charge.

* * *

**Day 4 - 8:30 AM**   
**A/V Room, First Floor**

Sayaka returned to the A/V Room looking exhausted. "Makoto!" she called. "Everyone's coming! Did you found your own video?"

Makoto lifted his head out of the box and turned around to face Sayaka. He then shook his head. "I...I couldn't find mine," he said.

"What?" Sayaka reacted. "How? Is your video not there?"

"There's more," Makoto added. "I counted the number of disks in that box. There are 14 disks and 16 of us, which meant that there are two disks missing. Mine is missing, and the other... I'm sorry to say, Sayaka, but...you disk is missing too."

"What? Mine is missing too?" Sayaka gasped. "Let me check!" She then ran up to the box and searched through the disks, looking for her own video.

As Sayaka searched the box, everyone else ran into the room.

"Oh, you came," Makoto said. He then rubbed the back of his head. "Uh..."

"Don't waste our time," Kiyotaka said. "We can't afford to waste a single second. So, where's our video?"

It's pretty obvious that the videos are in the box, so Makoto decided to report on a different thing. "Um...Kiyotaka?" he began. "I regret to inform you that there is a disk deficit. I searched through that box. I counted 14 disks."

"14 disks?" Kiyotaka said. "Wait, you're saying that we're missing two disks? What disks are missing?"

Makoto let out a sigh. "One of them is mine," he replied. "And the other..."

Sayaka lifted her head out of the box. She looked stunned. "M-Mine's not there either..." she said. "Why? Where did they go?"

"It doesn't matter," Yasuke said. "At least our videos are still there. How about we watch them and see what's going on in the outside world?"

The rest of the students agree to this, except for Makoto and Sayaka. They're not in the mood to stay.

"Yeah...I see no reason why I should stay here," Makoto said. "I don't have a video, so I'll just...wait outside."

Sayaka nodded in agreement. "Me too..." she said.

Makoto and Sayaka then left the A/V Room, leaving everyone else inside.

* * *

**Day 4 - 8:38 AM  
Hallway, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka waited outside the A/V Room for everyone to finish watching their videos. It quickly got boring for both of them, so they decided to strike up a conversation.

"Sayaka?" Makoto began. "I've been wondering about that hoodie you've been wearing."

Sayaka turned her head at Makoto. "Huh?" she said. "You're talking about this thing?" She pointed to her own hoodie and pulled on it.

"Yeah, that thing," Makoto replied. "I was wondering why you're wearing one. Isn't that a bit impractical for you to wear? Don't you have to push your hair out of the way to put your hood on or stuff your hair into that hood? I'm confused..."

"Oh..." Sayaka began to reply. "I...I wear a hoodie because...you're wearing one too, Makoto."

"Huh?" Makoto reacted as he pointed to himself. "It's because of...me?"

"I've have something to confess," Sayaka began. "When I'm not doing idol work, I do my best to keep an eye on you, even outside of school."

"Wait, you've been watching me?" Makoto said, looking shocked upon discovering this. "Why?"

"You know why," Sayaka replied. "I really wanted to get to know you. I really wanted to talk to you. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to talk to you until now, but I guess I don't need to talk to you to get to know you."

"Really?" Makoto said. "How?"

"You see, you have this curtain fashion sense," Sayaka said. "Except during summer months, you always go out wearing your hoodie. That's how I know that it's you. Your fashion sense might not be much, but it interests me. I decided to adopt wearing a hoodie myself. That way, I could feel that I'm getting closer to you."

"You're a strange girl, Sayaka," Makoto remarked, causing Sayaka to giggle. "By the way, how come nobody noticed that you were watching me? You're an idol, so I'm sure that everyone wants to keep their eyes on you."

"Oh...guess my disguise really does work," she said.

"You've been wearing a disguise while you're watching me?!" Makoto shouted in surprise.

"Look, if I walk around with my face exposed, everyone around me would surround me," Sayaka explained. "I find that to be very annoying. I love my fans, but sometimes I feel like they're getting in the way of my life. Having this hoodie on really helps with keeping my face concealed without drawing too much attention. Well, that and something else in addition."

Makoto stared at Sayaka as he let his thoughts sink in. "I can't believe I have an idol that is watching me..." he said.

Makoto and Sayaka are about to go back to silence when they felt a rumble in their pockets.

"What was that?" Sayaka asked.

"It's probably nothing," Makoto replied.

Makoto and Sayaka ignored the rumble and went back to waiting for the rest of their classmates. They began to wonder what's going on in the A/V Room, but they'd rather not. They could probably see something that couldn't be unseen.

* * *

**Day 4 - 8:41 AM  
A/V Room, First Floor**

The remaining students took the disk that has their name written on it and went to a computer. Then they sat down and inserted the disk, putting on the provided headphones. After doing that, they proceed to watch their videos. Nobody was sure about the contents of the videos, but they thought that the videos contained something pleasant. Monokuma did say that the videos are showing what's going on in the outside world, so it must be something good.

If there's anything everyone learned from this experience, it's that they should never expect anything good from a cruel person.

Yasuke watched his video, and he was shocked. He didn't expect his video to turn in such a direction. The videos started out pleasant, showing one of this loved ones. Then the video shifted to a ruined scene, where the person that was once featured disappeared. The voice of Monokuma then showed up, telling the listener that if they didn't do anything, they will never be able to see their loved ones ever again. The fate of the loved ones remains unknown. Did they die? Are they still alive? The videos imply that they are dead, but Monokuma didn't say that they are dead.

Yasuke looked around the room to study everyone's reactions. Most of the students are shocked by what they saw in their videos. Others are disgusted. The room begins to fill with roars from those demanding answers. As the chaos in the room continues to rise, Yasuke laid his eyes on Junko and started having questions. What did she see in her video? Who was in her video? He began to worry about her. She could be dead soon.

The projected in the room then turned on, displaying a picture of Monokuma.

"You..." Mondo said upon laying his eyes on Monokuma. "You piece of shit! What did you do?! Answer me!"

"Phuhuhu," Monokuma began. "Did you like what you saw in your video? You shouldn't have!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Byakuya asked, sneering at Monokuma. "What are you trying to do?"

"T-This can't be real, right?" Kiyotaka asked as he began to sweat. "T-There's no way that the videos are real. They must be fake!"

"Oh, are you trying to insist that your videos are fake?" Monokuma asked. "Don't be so naive. I can assure you that these videos are 100% real!"

Kiyotaka was shocked by this. "N-No way..." he muttered. He then collapsed to his knees.

"Listen up, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "What you just saw is your motive video. That's right, you kids are so stubborn about leaving that I have to throw something on top of that just to push you to escape this school. Now, your videos show the person or group you love and care about the most. They're so sweet, those treasured bonds formed outside of this school. However, what happened to them is currently unknown. Are they still alive? Are they dead? Who knows! There's only one way to find out for sure, and it's to graduate from this academy. And to graduate from this academy, you need to kill someone and get away with it. There's no other way to do it. If you want to see your loved ones again, you have to play by my rules!"

Natsumi, who is oddly quiet after watching her video, jumped from her seat. She looked like she is crying. "But...my brother!" she cried. "What did you do to my brother?"

"Ah! You broke a rule!" Monokuma said, pointed to Natsumi. "This is only a warning shot, so don't break it again!"

"What rule?" Leon asked. "She didn't break any rules!"

"Ah, I forgot to mention this," Monokuma said. "A new rule has been added: once a personal motive has been distributed, you cannot discuss it with anyone else until someone has died. Go ahead, check your E-Handbooks to review the rules. Take a good lone look at them!"

Everyone then felt a rumbling in their pockets. They took out their E-Handbooks and turned them on. Then they reviewed the rules and saw that a new rule has been added.

* * *

List of Rules and Regulations (Version 3):

  1. Students may only reside within the school. Leaving the campus is an unacceptable use of time.
  2. The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am (22:00-07:00). Some areas are off-limits at night.
  3. Sleeping is only permitted in the dormitory. Sleeping anywhere else will be seen as sleeping in class.
  4. With some restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
  5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
  6. Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
  7. Stealing or lending personal belongings is, once again, strictly prohibited.
  8. Breaking into locked doors and rooms is, yet again, strictly prohibited.
  9. Violating any of the above rules will result in immediate punishment. No exceptions.
  10. Anyone who kills a student becomes the "blackened". Blackened students may graduate the school, unless they are discovered.
  11. Once a personal motive has been distributed, the person who received it cannot exchange information about their motive with anyone else. Violation of this rule will result in your motive being revoked. (New)
  12. The above rule remains in place until someone has died. (New)
  13. Additional rules may be added when necessary.



* * *

The two new rules look very worrying. Now they can't discuss what they saw in their motive videos with each other. It seems like this rule will remain in place until someone has died, but that's not even remotely assuring.

Natsumi was shocked upon reading the new rule. "Wait, what?!" she shouted. "Are you saying that my motive is revoked?"

"Yep!" Monokuma replied. "You've been a naughty yakuza girl. Even if you did get away with murdering someone, you won't be able to see what happened to your brother! You only have yourself to blame for this!"

Natsumi collapsed to her knees. She can't believe that she ruined her chances of seeing her brother again because of a rule nobody knew until it was too late. Her motive didn't last for even a single minute before being revoked. Everyone else is staring at Natsumi, wondering who her brother is. They guessed that whoever her bother is, she cared for him a lot.

"Listen up, everyone!" Monokuma shouted. "I know all of you kids want to see your loved ones again and see if they're safe or not. But you need to act fast! Starting this noon, you have 48 hours to murder someone and get away with it. Once that time has passed, that's it! You cannot see your loved ones again even if you did get away with murder! You kids may have plenty of time to plan out your murder, but be warned. Time will go by fast. Now then, who will be the first to snap? Who will they target? I hope it's not you." With a sinister laugh, the projector turns off and Monokuma vanished from the wall.

"T-That damn bear!" Mondo said as he pounded the floor. "I'll get him...next time..."

"T-This is insane," Kiyotaka said. "There's...too many things happening at once. How could this group remain functional..."

Leon then noticed something off about what happened after Natsumi unknowingly violated a rule. "Wait, what hell?" he gasped. "Natsumi broke a rule, yet she wasn't punished? Didn't the rules say that if we violate any rules, then we'll receive punishment, right?"

"Read the rules again," Yasuke said. "Specifically, Rule 9 on the list. What does that read?"

"Didn't that rule say that if we kill anyone, we become the blackened?" Leon asked.

"You idiot," Junko responded. "The rules list have been updated. Now that rule about the blackened is now Rule 10. Did you even read the rules?"

"Hey, don't call me an idiot!" Leon shouted.

At the corner of the room, Kyoko pulled out her E-Handbook and read Rule 9 to everyone. "Rule 9," she began. "Violating any of the above rules will result in immediate punishment. No exceptions."

Leon looked baffled upon hearing the rule. "Seriously?" he asked. "That's the new rule? What does it mean?"

"If we violate any of the rules between 1 and 8 inclusive, then we'll receive punishment," Yasuke explained. "In other words, if the rule is listed above Rule 9, we'll receive punishment if we violate it. Otherwise, we won't receive punishment if we violate it. Does that make sense?"

Leon blankly stared at Yasuke. "I have no idea what half of what you said means," he said. "What does inclusive mean?"

Yasuke facepalmed and shook his head in disappointment. "You know what, forget this," he declared. He walked towards the exit as everyone watched him. "Now that Monokuma has given each of us a motive, I expect to see someone die soon. He's also given us a time limit to push us into murder even more. That cruel bear... When will he ever give up?"

"Wait, what about Makoto and Sayaka?" Hina asked. "They didn't receive a motive video. What's going to happen to them?"

Yasuke stopped just before he could exit the door. "I'm not sure," he said. "Perhaps they won't get a motive anytime soon." He then opened the door and exited the room.

On the way to his dorm room, Yasuke encountered Makoto and Sayaka. The two of them looked excited upon seeing him. They ran up to him to ask him something.

"Hey, Dr. Matsuda," Makoto said. "How was the video?"

"Did it contain something good?" Sayaka asked.

Yasuke stared at Makoto and Sayaka with a disapproving look. "Don't. Talk. About. It," he said. "Now step aside. You're getting in my way." He then walked to the dormitory.

Makoto and Sayaka exchanged confused looks with each other. They have no clue what Yasuke is talking about. They decided to check in with the rest of their classmates. Perhaps their videos are a bit more exciting than what Yasuke thought.

* * *

**Day 4 - 11:58 PM (36 Hours Remain)  
Dormitory, First Floor**

The rest of the day didn't go well for everyone. For some reason, everyone isn't in the mood to hang out with each other anymore. Makoto and Sayaka tried their best to get an idea of what happened to their classmates, but their classmates refused to talk about it. This left Makoto and Sayaka confused. They began to wonder what their classmates saw in the videos that caused them to act that way.

Hours pass, and soon nighttime comes. Makoto and Sayaka are unable to find the answers to the questions they have about their classmates. They decided to wait until tomorrow morning to get information out of everyone. After the nighttime announcement plays, Makoto and Sayaka headed back to their own rooms to sleep for the night. They were able to get two hours of sleep when...

"Psst! Naegi! Wake up!"

"..."

Makoto felt something bounce on his chest. It felt so soft and fluffy. Then again, it does have Monokuma's voice, but Makoto didn't wake. He assumed that it was part of his dreams. But the bouncing feeling on his chest continues, and so does the voice.

"Hey! Makoto Naegi! Wake up!"

"...Ugh..."

Makoto slowly opened his eyes and found...Monokuma on his chest.

"Ahhhhh!" Makoto screamed as he jumped from his bed. "Monokuma?! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you're awake," Monokuma said. "So, let's get this straight. You did notice that your disk was missing, right? That means that you didn't get your motive video."

Makoto was confused by what Monokuma is talking about. "Motive video?" he said. "What are you saying?"

"Aren't you behind the rest of your classmates?" Monokuma said. "Everyone else got their own motive video. Everyone, except your you! Oh, and also Maizono. Her is missing too."

"I don't get what you're saying," Makoto said as he gripped his head. "What do you mean motive video? What are you trying to do?"

Monokuma laughed at Makoto. "So, about your motive video," he said. "I've prepared a special motive video specifically prepared just for you!"

"...What?" Makoto reacted.

"Stop wasting my time already!" Monokuma said. "All you have to do to see your motive video is to head out of your room and into the A/V Room. You know, the room where everyone else got their motive video? Yeah, go there. I'll be waiting for you!" He then disappeared.

"Wait!" Makoto shouted as he attempted to grab Monokuma. "Hold up!" But it was too late. Monokuma was simply too fast for him.

Makoto let out a sigh. What Monokuma said sounded very confusing. A motive video? What is that? He felt that he was far behind his classmates. Maybe he should try to catch up with them. Makoto then got off his bed and exited his room. There, he encountered a friend.

"Oh, hey Sayaka," Makoto greeted. "Let me guess. You're here because of Monokuma?"

Sayaka silently nodded.

"Figures," Makoto said with a sigh.

"...What should we do now?" Sayaka asked nervously. "I'm scared. I don't want to go."

"Yeah, me neither," Makoto replied. "But...we can't ignore Monokuma. We have to do what he says. Let's get to the A/V Room as soon as we can."

Sayaka rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I'm...so...sleepy..." she said.

Makoto stretched his arms. "I know," he said. "But...try your best to stay awake. You know what happens if we fall asleep outside of our dorm rooms. Come on. Let's go." He then escorted Sayaka to the A/V Room, where their motive video presumably is.

* * *

**Day 5 - 12:05 AM  
A/V Room, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka entered the A/V Room and began searching for their motive videos. The box containing everyone else's motive videos are no longer here. They searched all around the room to look for a disk that has their name written on it. They searched behind the computer, underneath them, and everywhere they could go. But no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't find those disks.

"Found anything yet?" Sayaka asked.

Makoto lifted his head from below a computer. He looked at Sayaka and shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "Couldn't find anything there."

"Monokuma said that he put our motive videos in this very room," Sayaka said. "Did...did he not do that?"

Makoto thought out it for a moment. He then shook his head. "No..." he said. "Something's not right here. Our disks must be missing for a reason. There's no way that Monokuma would hide critical information from a specific person, right? Are we getting something wrong here?"

Sayaka was about to ponder about it when suddenly the projector turned up. The back wall became illuminated with a video of Monokuma.

"Hello, Makoto and Sayaka," Monokuma greeted.

Makoto and Sayaka walked to the back wall. They stood side by side as they watched the video of Monokuma talking to them.

"You might've noticed that your motive videos are currently missing," Monokuma continued. "This is because I've prepared a very special motive video just for the two of you. Now listen up! This is important information!"

Sayaka began to latch on to Makoto and began shivering. Both of them could feel their heart rates rising. They muscles began to tense up as they continued to watch their motive video.

"Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student," Monokuma began. "He used to be an ordinary kid with an ordinary family, until one day his life changed forever thanks to a lottery held by Hope's Peak Academy. Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Idol. She started from the bottom and rose to the absolute peak of stardom. Both have many, many important people in their life: family, friends, fans, and something else that starts with 'f'. It would be a shame if anything bad ever happened to any of them. But more than anyone else in the entire world, there is one person that, should anything bad were to happen to them, they would fall into complete and total despair! And that person is..."

Makoto and Sayaka began to sweat. They have many questions about their motive video. Why was it presented that way? Was this their shared motive video? Why would Monokuma do something like this? This feels so strange. They both began to wonder who their most important person could be. Based on how the video was presented, it looks like they have the exact same person who they considered to be the most important to them. This feels even stranger. Just what person could that be? Did they met anyone who was friends with both of them? There were too many questions being asked at once. It was almost overwhelming.

But it turned out that Monokuma had something else in mind. He laughed at Makoto and Sayaka in mockery.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Monokuma said. "Do I really need to show it to you two? You two wouldn't believe this but, your most important person is the one right next to you."

Makoto and Sayaka are shocked to hear this at first. They began to wonder what Monokuma is taking about when he said that their most important person is the one right next to them. Then they slowly turned towards each other. As they stare at each other in the eyes, they realized something. Monokuma wasn't talking about anyone outside this school. He was talking about them.

As it turned out, Makoto and Sayaka's most important person...is each other.

"...You?" Makoto and Sayaka said in unison. "You are my most important person?!"

Monokuma then burst into a cackling laughter. "Oh, what's this?" he said. "Your most important person is each other? Well, that's something you don't see every day. This is a special event!"

Sayaka began to cling desperately on to Makoto. She tighten her grip around him, afraid to let him go. Makoto didn't notice, but he was wrapping his arms around Sayaka, comforting her with a rub.

"Hey, guess what?" Monokuma said. "Since your most important person is each other, I'm going to offer you a special motive, just for you two! If one of you successfully murders someone and gets away with it, then both of you two will be able to graduate from this academy! But if one of you gets caught, even if you're not the one who did the murder, well, let's just say that it won't end well for you two. I'm giving you 36 hours from now to murder someone. Once that time limit passes, you two will not graduate together. So, what's it going to be? I'm giving you the choice." The projector then turns off, ending the motive video.

"..."

Makoto and Sayaka are slow to figure out what's going on. What Monokuma said in that video sounded confusing and vague. This is less of a motive video and more like a message for them. Nonetheless, their motive was made clear. If Makoto or Sayaka murders someone and successfully gets away with it, then they will be able to graduate together. But if they fail to get away with it...who knows what will happen to them.

Sayaka was desperate to escape this school. Those feelings were there from the very beginning, but now that motive video amplified that feeling. Now she felt like she needed to escape. Makoto has that same feeling. He wanted to escape this school as well, especially with Sayaka. But the question is, are they willing to sacrifice one of their classmates to escape this school? Even if they never spoke a word to each other before coming to Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto and Sayaka still knew each other. In the few days since the killing game began, they made a few friends in their class. Those friends might not be as close to them as each other, but they're still friends. Is it really worth it to sacrifice one of their friends just so they could escape with each other. They have many difficult questions to ask, and the answers they've come up with might not be the right answer. Perhaps there was never a right answer to begin with. Who knows.

Makoto and Sayaka silently walked back to their dorm rooms. After returning to their rooms, Makoto and Sayaka tried their best to fall asleep. But the motive video they got kept them awake. Their own fears ended up making them sleepless. Unable to fall asleep, Makoto and Sayaka spent the rest of the night in their rooms, waiting for morning to arrive.

* * *

**Day 5 - 7:45 AM (28 Hours, 15 Minutes Remain)  
Dining Room, First Floor**

The morning announcement plays and everyone woke up. Everyone then went into the dining room to have breakfast. The dining room was in an unsettling silence. Nobody was talking to each other, even those that became fast friends. A sense of dread began to fill the air as everyone began to worry about themselves.

Natsumi was devastated. She sat at a table all by herself, staring at her food. She can't believe that she ruined her chances of seeing her loved ones again. It's all because of a rule that nobody was aware of at the time. It's so stupid. Why couldn't Monokuma had warned about this earlier? It's all her fault, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.

After finishing his breakfast, Yasuke got up and surveyed everyone about their sleep. It was difficult to get answers from everyone, as nobody was willing to talk to him. Not even Junko wanted to speak to him. But he eventually got his responses. As he expected, everyone lost some sleep, losing about an hour of sleep on average. The only ones who didn't experience any sleep loss are Byakuya, Celeste, and Kyoko. Out of everyone who lose sleep, none of them could match Makoto and Sayaka. They were the last students Yasuke surveyed, and he was shocked by their tired appearances.

"Whoa," Yasuke gasped. "Are you two okay? You two look like you didn't get any sleep."

Makoto and Sayaka glanced over to Yasuke. They didn't say anything, only making a few grunts and groans.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Yasuke asked. "I couldn't quite understand what you're saying. Could you repeat that?"

Makoto and Sayaka said nothing.

Kiyotaka then walked up to Yasuke. He too was shocked by how Makoto and Sayaka looked today. "My goodness, what happened to you two?" he said. "Are you two okay?"

Once again, there was no response from Makoto and Sayaka.

Yasuke turned to Kiyotaka. "Something's wrong here," he said. "Those two...they didn't get their motive videos like the rest of us. In fact, their motive videos are missing. What could've happened to those two that caused them to be this way?"

"I don't know," Kiyotaka replied. "These two are fine last night, so something must've happened to them overnight. Problem is, I don't know what happened. I knew I should've paid attention to everyone's night activities. Oh well. I'm sure Makoto and Sayaka will be fine tomorrow. They'll get over it."

Makoto and Sayaka cringed upon hearing that. They turn their heads towards Kiyotaka and noticed something behind him and Yasuke. As soon as they recognize what that something is, their eyes widen in shock. Soon after that, everyone in the room began to gasp in shock.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Kiyotaka said as he turned around. He freaked out upon seeing who's behind him. "Gah! Where did you come from!"

"Surprised to see me?" Monokuma asked.

Mondo began shaking his fist at Monokuma. "You!" he shouted. "You piece of shit!"

"What are you here for?" Natsumi asked.

"Eh? What am I here for?" Monokuma said. "I'm here to tell you a very important announcement! I need all of you at the gym as soon as possible! Make it quick, and don't keep me waiting." He then disappeared again.

Kiyotaka stared at the area where Monokuma once stood. "That bear operates in ways I don't understand," he said. "How does he appear and disappear so fast and without leaving a trace?"

Yasuke glanced at Kiyotaka with a disapproving look. "Just...don't even think about it too much," he said.

Everyone finished their breakfast and began to make their way to the gym. In the middle of this, the students experienced a minor interruption. Hiro is searching the room for some reason, falling behind everyone else.

"Aw, where did I put that crystal ball?" Hiro asked as he looked underneath a table. "I swear, I put it around here somewhere."

"Oh, forget about it!" Yasuke shouted from beyond the door. "I don't want to see that pseudoscience filled crap ever again! Now hurry up already! You're slowing us now!"

"Okay, okay!" Hiro said as he walked out of the door. "I'll go. You don't have to be so harsh..."

* * *

**Day 5 - 8:04 AM (28 Hours Remain)**   
**Gym, First Floor**

The students gathered in the gym facing the gym. Everyone is scattered all over the gym. Towards the back of the group are Makoto and Sayaka. They stayed far behind from everyone else, remaining close to each other. Monokuma then showed up as expected, delivering a small speech.

"So, I see you all have gathered around in the gym," Monokuma began. "It looks like all of you kids are still alive. I'm surprised at how long you guys lasted without a murder happening. Usually, someone dies at this point, but it appears that all of you have resisted the urge to murder. I say that it's about time to give all of you an additional motive. Except for you, Miss Kuzuryu. You ruined your chances."

Natsumi scoffed at Monokuma and looked away from him.

"Now then, everyone," Monokuma continued. "Here is your additional motive! You see, I have given two of you guys a special motive. It's different from the rest of your motive! If you can identify the two people that hold the special motive and kill them, then it doesn't matter if you got away with it or not. You will be able to graduate this school. No questions asked!"

Everyone is shocked to hear the additional motive, but especially Makoto and Sayaka. These two suddenly froze in fear as they felt that they were about to get targeted. Everyone else is baffled about the additional motive.

"Wait...so you have given two of us a special motive?" Hina asked. "W-What the heck? What kind of move is that?"

"This is absurd!" Yasuke shouted as he stomped his foot. "You've already given us a motive to escape this school. Now you're giving us an additional motive on top of that? Why? Why would you do this? You're insane, Monokuma."

"There's no way that you have given two of us a special motive!" Kiyotaka shouted, pointing his finger at Monokuma. "That's just plain unfair! Why would you give us a motive, then give two people a special motive, and then give us another motive on top of that? This is too much too fast! No one will ever take that opportunity!"

"Phuhuhu," Monokuma said. "You guys really think that I didn't give two people a special motive? It's true! I did give two people a special motive. The question is, which two people did I give it too? That's up to you to figure out. Oh, and reminder, you can't just kill one of the two people that has the special motive. You have to kill both of them. Then you can graduate from this school immediately. As a reminder, if you murder someone within the time limit and managed to get away with it, you'll be able to see your loved ones again. That includes if you kill the two people with the special motive. You have 28 hours left before the motives expire. Good luck, and happy killing!" He then disappeared into the stage.

Even though the speech didn't last a long time, everyone was left with confusion and questions.

"What...kind of motive is that?" Leon asked.

"So, let me get this straight," Hifumi said. "Monokuma said that he has given two people a special motive. If we can kill those two, then we can graduate and see our loved ones again."

"Okay..." Junko said, still looking confused. "So after we did that, now what? What's next?"

"It doesn't matter what happens," Yasuke said. "If we kill the two students with the special motive, that's it. We graduate regardless if we're caught or not. But if we miss even one of those two students, then we don't get to graduate immediately. If that happens and we're caught...we're done for."

"I still don't get what you just said," Leon replied. "Seriously, it's so confusing, what Monokuma said to us. Why even bother with it if it's so confusing? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Calm down, everyone," Kiyotaka said. "We shouldn't focus on this too much. For now, our focus should be on finding a way to escape this school without killing anyone and taking down Monokuma himself."

"You do realize that there's no way that Monokuma would allow us to escape without killing someone, correct?" Celeste said. "He must have accounted for every possible way to escape. I must say this again. The only way to survive is to-"

"Shut your mouth up, Celeste," Yasuke said. "Enough of your 'survival of the fittest' talk. We know already."

As everyone began to discuss about the additional motive Monokuma gave them, Kyoko took a look at the back of the room. She noticed that Makoto and Sayaka are no longer where they should be. They must've left without anyone noticing. She isn't surprised. Everyone else is facing away from them, so escaping without being detected should be easy. The question is, where did these two go?

* * *

**Day 5 - 8:15 AM (27 Hours, 45 Minutes Remain)  
Classroom 1-A, First Floor**

"We're going to die!" Sayaka cried as she buried her face into Makoto's chest. "We're both going to get killed! Everyone's going to target us. I...I just can't handle this anymore!"

Makoto tried his best to comfort Sayaka, but nothing he does seemed to be working.

"Listen, Sayaka," Makoto said. "We're not going to die here. We're not going to get killed. Nobody will target us. We're going to get out of this school together! As long as we work together, we will find a way out."

"But...what if one of us dies before we could escape?" Sayaka asked as she began shivering. "If I die, then you'll have to live without me. And if you die then...then..." She stopped right there, unable to think for a moment.

"Sayaka, remember the promise I made to you," Makoto said. "If anything ever happens to us, I'll protect you no matter what. As long as we have each other, there's nothing that we can't do. Isn't that right?"

Sayaka wasn't sure if she fully agrees with Makoto. She began to worry that if Makoto tried to protect her from danger, it would only result in his death. There's no way that she'll like this outcome. Then she realized that the reason Makoto will likely die is because he has nothing to defend himself with. And that's when her mind went back to the gold sword she and Makoto decided to check out.

"...We need something to defend ourselves," Sayaka said.

"What?" Makoto said. "What do you mean 'defend ourselves'?"

Sayaka pulled herself away from Makoto and stared into his eyes. Her vision is blurry from tearing up. "I...I can't afford to walk around defenseless," she said. "If I were attacked...I'll be killed. I need a weapon. I-I just can't live without one."

Makoto then remembered the gold sword. "That gold sword," he said. "I've been thinking about using that as a weapon. It's so messy though. I don't want to hold that. But...desperate times call for desperate measures. If that sword could be used as a weapon, then I'll use it."

"...You will?" Sayaka asked.

"I will," Makoto replied. "Things are going to get dangerous around here. If we make one wrong move, we're done for. I need you to listen to me. After the nighttime announcement plays, do not leave your room. If anyone knocks the door or rings the doorbell, do not answer it. I'm telling you this to ensure your safety. Understand?"

Sayaka slowly nodded her head. "...Yes," she replied. "You...you would do the same, right?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep me safe," Makoto said. He then let out a heavy sigh. "We'd better get going. Everyone's about to become suspicious of us. Get to your room immediately. I'll go and get the gold sword."

After making an agreement, Makoto and Sayaka exited the classroom and headed off in their own direction. Sayaka went straight to her room and Makoto prepared to carry the gold sword to his room.

* * *

**Day 5 - 9:00 AM (27 Hours Remain)**   
**Athletics Hallway, First Floor**

Makoto found some gloves in the infirmary. He could use them to protect his hands from being covered in gold. After getting the necessary supplies, he went to the athetics hallway and stood in front of the trophy display. He stared at the gold sword, its luster gleaming in his eyes. It might be a replica sword, but it's still a sword. It could probably deal good damage if used properly. Makoto rolled up his sleeves and carefully grabbed the stand the gold sword sits on. He lifted it up and began to carry it to his room. He was careful not to let the sword fall from its stand, or else it'll leave a huge mess on the floor. Natsumi is currently in charge of cleaning the hallways, but with the current situation she isn't likely to do her job.

On the way back to his room, Makoto encountered Celeste.

"What are you doing?" Celeste asked.

"Oh, hey Celeste," Makoto greeted. "Um, I'm just carrying this gold sword to my room."

"You are?" Celeste said. "Why is that?"

"You know how things are going," Makoto said. "We don't have much time left before our motives expire. Someone's going to die soon, and if I don't act now, I might end up being a victim."

"So you're grabbing a weapon to defend yourself," Celeste said. "I see."

"I don't have much time," Makoto said. "I need to get this to my room as soon as I can. I'll be in my room for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow, if you survive."

"I'll see you tomorrow if you survive as well," Celeste replied.

Makoto continued to carry the gold sword to his room, unaware that Celeste is keeping an eye on him.

* * *

**Day 6 - 2:00 AM (10 Hours Remain)  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka spent the rest of the day confined to their rooms. They didn't do anything after that, not even paying each other a visit. They weren't sure what's going on outside their rooms, but they're pretty sure someone's plotting to murder someone else. Monokuma gave them a lot of time to plot out a murder, but when they spent hours doing nothing, then time goes by faster than expected.

The nighttime announcement soon plays, and they got to bed. Makoto laid sleeplessly on his bed. The stress and dread is keeping him awake. It doesn't help that he could see the gold sword he brought from his bed. He began to develop some troubling thoughts. He imagined someone using that gold sword against him, bringing it down on his head. He imagined accidentally killing someone with the gold sword in an attempt to defend himself. He imagined discovering Sayaka dead the following morning.

That last thought troubled Makoto the most. He began to think about his relationship with her. They have grown so close together in the few days they have spent in this school. It's almost as if they became best friends. It doesn't help that Monokuma stated that she was his most important person. If anything terrible were to happen to her, according to Monokuma, Makoto would fall into despair. On top of that, he was Sayaka's most important person. Makoto began thinking about the special motive he and Sayaka was given. He also started to think about the additional motive everyone else was given.

All of these thoughts are keeping Makoto awake. This is stating to become insane. Maybe Makoto should let his mind relax for a moment and let him fall asleep. No...that can't be right. These thoughts shouldn't be ignored. If he didn't address them now, then it will haunt him the following day.

More thoughts began to fill Makoto's mind. Now he's starting to think about the rest of his classmates and how they're doing. Are they going to survive the night? He has not heard of them ever since he locked himself into his own room. Perhaps something bad has happened to them. He might need to-

*BANG!*

"Huh?"

Makoto was alerted to the loud bang at his door. It sounded like something had impacted it. What was it? Was it someone trying to break into his room? No, it can't be. The rules stated that breaking into locked doors is prohibited, and Makoto had locked his door after entering his room. He would ignore it after this point, but for some reason he can't put his mind away from it. He began to suspect that someone is out there, waiting for him to answer the door. He has promised to Sayaka that she would not answer the door, and he would do the same. Some promises are not meant to last.

Fearing that someone is out there to kill him, Makoto decided to take action. He got off his bed and grabbed his gold sword. The sword doesn't come with any belts, so he has to hold it on his left hand before he could use it. He walked up to the door, anticipating to see someone behind it. His hand is starting to shake in fear. He could sense something bad beyond this door. But if he doesn't take action, he might end up dead. He has no other choice. Makoto grabbed the doorknob and opened up the door to find-

...Sayaka's body slumping at his feet.

Makoto was shocked to see Sayaka at his door. Not only that, but she looked lifeless. It looked like she isn't breathing anymore. She's...she's dead.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Makoto was so horrified to see Sayaka dead that he blacked out, but not before he felt a sharp pain on his head.


	7. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Daily Life 5)

**Day 6 - Unknown Time (Unknown Hours Remain)  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Makoto barged into his own room looking for Sayaka. He remembered last night that they exchanged rooms: she stayed in his room, while he stayed in her room. He noticed that Sayaka was absent breakfast and grew worried about her. He rushed to his room to check up on her. Upon opening the door, Makoto was met with a worrying scene. There are cuts all over the walls and the furniture has been damaged. What could've happened in his room? What did Sayaka do to his room? Makoto shook those thoughts out of his head. He needs to find Sayaka now, and he can't afford to waste a second.

Makoto looked everywhere in his room, but couldn't find a sign of Sayaka. That left the bathroom as the only place left. He approached the bathroom door and noticed that the doorknob has been taken off. A feeling of dread began to fill his body. He felt that something bad is beyond this door. He didn't want to see it, but he has to. He must open this door if he wants to see Sayaka again. Makoto opened the door and took a look inside the bathroom.

What Makoto found absolute shocked him. He found blood splattered all over the bathroom, most of it is in the shower. He looked down at the floor and found...Sayaka...dead.

...

Makoto freaked out and suddenly opened his eyes. He spent several moments in a panic. It turned out that he was experiencing a nightmare. He has experienced several nightmares over the past several nights, but never one that's this horrifying. It all felt so real...too real, in fact. One of these days, his nightmares will become a reality. His nightmares might've already become reality. This isn't something that he wanted, but it could happen. As he calmed himself down, Makoto began to have several questions.

The last thing Makoto remembered was seeing Sayaka's dead body. He was so horrified by the sight of it that he blacked out. He also remembered the sharp pain he felt before blacking out. Just what was that? Was he dead? Is this the afterlife? And who's breathing on his neck?

There was no way Makoto could find the answer to the first question, but he did found the answers to the next two. He touched himself in several areas and concluded that he was still alive. He was not killed and this isn't the afterlife. He also discovered that he was on his bed. How did he get from near the door all the way to the bed...he doesn't know. It's probably best if he doesn't think about this too much.

...

Someone is still breathing on his neck. Just who was it? And who's wrapping their arms around him? Makoto looked at this chest and found an arm. His eyes followed the arm all the way up to its owner. Soon, he laid eyes on...?! Sayaka?

"AHHHHHH!" Makoto screamed as he attempted to pull himself away from Sayaka. He discovered that Sayaka is sleeping with him. Why is she sleeping with him? Why is a dead person sleeping with him? Makoto doesn't know, but there's no way that he'll accept sleeping with a dead person. He tried to get away from Sayaka, but for some reason, the harder he tried to pull himself away the harder Sayaka tried to pull him back towards her.

"NO!" Sayaka cried. "Don't leave me! I need you! Please, stay here...just for a little longer!"

Okay, so Sayaka is definitely still alive, as if her breathing on Makoto wasn't enough of a sign. Makoto let out a sigh of relief knowing that Sayaka is still alive, but then he gained even more questions. Just what happened to her last night? What was she doing outside her room? And why did Makoto think it's a good idea to check who's outside his door? He did promised to Sayaka to never leave her room and to never answer the door. He also promised that he would do the same thing. What were they thinking? What they did last night was absolutely foolish. They could've gotten themselves killed right there. It's a relief that they're still alive, but Makoto began to worry that if he and Sayaka ever made the same mistake again, they're going to be dead.

Makoto then shook his head. Now's not the time to be thinking about this, he thought. He began to focus on figuring out just what the hell happened. He then looked at Sayaka and gave her a pat.

"Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto said. "Uh...wake up."

Sayaka then opened up her eyes. She stared at Makoto with a rather...suggestive look on her face. Makoto stared back looking confused. They stared at each other for a few moments before Sayaka realized that she's sleeping with Makoto...and she didn't even ask for it. Her eyes widen as she catapulted off the bed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Sayaka apologized. "I didn't mean to do that! I just-" She stopped herself as she looked around, confused about where she is right now. "Um...where am I? And who's room is this? And what am I doing here?"

Makoto then remembered the gold sword. "Wait...my sword!" he exclaimed. He looked at his left hand a saw that the gold sword was no longer there. He then looked at the stand, expecting to see the sword there. It's not there either. "W-Where did my sword go? I swear, I have it in my hand!"

"Your sword?" Sayaka asked. "Didn't you have one?"

"Yeah, I did have it," Makoto replied. "But now it's gone! Where is it?"

"I don't know," Sayaka replied.

Makoto sighed. Now he doesn't have a weapon to defend himself anymore. If he's ever attacked by anyone, he will definitely die. He hoped that never happens to him.

"Well, I'm glad that you're still alive, Sayaka," Makoto said

"I'm still alive?" Sayaka asked. She then rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I'm glad that I'm still alive. If I die...I don't know how you react. I feel like some of your luck has rubbed off to me."

Makoto lifted himself off his bed. "You think so?" he asked.

Sayaka nodded in response. She then looked around the room, still wondering what happened last night. "By the way, did we do...anything last night?" she asked. "The last thing I remembered was that I was standing in front of your door."

"You were standing in front of my door?!" Makoto gasped. "What where you doing there? I told you to not leave your room at night! Didn't you listen to me?!"

"...Sorry," Sayaka apologized.

Makoto then let out a groan as he realized he broke the promise as well. "Why did I answer that door?" he asked himself. "I promised to myself that I would never answer the door. I just had to check who's outside that door. If only there was a way to see who's outside our doors before we answer them..."

"At least we're still alive," Sayaka remarked. "We should get going. I don't know what time it is, but we should head to the dining room as soon as we can."

Makoto and Sayaka then got off the bed and out their shoes on. They found them on the floor near the bed. As they prepared to exit the room, Makoto noticed that Sayaka looks a bit different from the last time he saw her. She has strands of hair sticking out all over the place, with a small lock of hair sticking up from her head. It looked like she hasn't maintained her looks in a while.

"Uh, Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "What happened to you? Your hair looks messy."

"Oh?" Sayaka replied. She then rubbed the back of her head. "I...I just forgot to brush my hair last night. At least, that's how I remembered."

Makoto rubbed his forehead, feeling a bump on it. "Okay..." he said. "You looked like you need to brush your hair. That's okay, you can do that later. For now, we need to figure out what our classmates are doing."

"Yeah, Sayaka replied as she nodded. "Um...sorry for distracting you for a moment. I...haven't maintained my looks recently."

Makoto and Sayaka resumed in getting out of this room. Makoto grabbed the doorknob and opened it up, only to find the rest of his classmates waiting for him.

"WAH!" Makoto shrieked as he fell backwards in surprise.

"Everyone?!" Sayaka gasped. "What are you all doing here?"

"Man, Makoto," Leon began. "Bedding Sayaka, aren't you? That's kind of bold for you to do."

"Shut up," Junko replied. "It's not like they had a choice."

"How much sleep do you two need?" Hina asked. "You two missed the main event!"

Sayaka helped Makoto get back on his feet. They then stared at their classmates confused about what they're talking about.

"Uh...what's going on?" Makoto asked. "Did we miss anything?"

"You two missed a lot of things," Kyoko said. "You two were out for so long. We have to start the investigation without you two."

"Wait...investigation?" Sayaka said. "What's going on?"

"Look, we don't have time to explain," Yasuke said. "We'll be on our way to the trial room. If there's anyone who can explain what's going on, it's Monokuma."

"Trial room?" Makoto said. "What is that place?"

"Oh, you'll see," Monokuma said as he showed up behind Makoto and Sayaka.

"AH!" Sayaka shrieked. She then clung on to Makoto and started speaking rapidly. "Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me..."

Makoto looked behind himself and saw the cruel bear. "Monokuma!" he said. "What's going on?"

"Aw, look at you two," Monokuma said. "You love your precious Sayaka so much that you allowed her to sleep with you! How sweet. You two are almost like a married couple."

"Shut up!" Makoto shouted as his face turned red. "You're not answering my question!"

Monokuma continued his rather perverted speech. "Soon enough, you two will be taking your clothes off and jumping on top of each other!"

"Gross!" Hina exclaimed in disgust. She cringed after hearing that awful joke from Monokuma. Some of the others also cringed.

"This isn't the time to do joke about that!" Makoto shouted, his face turning even redder. "You'd better explain to me what's going on!"

"Fine! Fine!" Monokuma said. "I'll tell you two what's going on, but only after everyone else makes their way to the trail room."

"Oh, right," Yasuke said. "That. Time to go, everyone. Let's find out the truth of this case. We've already wasted enough time standing around."

Yasuke and the rest of the students then walked away from the dormitory, leaving behind a confused Makoto and a terrified Sayaka. As the rest of the students left, Makoto noticed something off. Excluding him and Sayaka, he counted 13 students in the group. That could only mean one thing, and it's a conclusion Makoto didn't want to reach.

"So, are you two ready to know what your classmates are doing?" Monokuma asked. "I'll tell you now, but first you need to do something. No, it's not getting busy with your partner, though I would like it if you two would do just that. All you have to do is discover a body."

"A...body?" Makoto said. A sense of dread begun to fill his body. "So...that means...someone has died? Someone has been murdered?"

Sayaka continued to shiver as she tightened her grip on Makoto.

"That's right!" Monokuma confirmed. "One of you has been the victim of a murder. All you need to do is to find the body. But where is it? Where did somebody die? Here's a hint: the body is very close to you two. You'll be surprised at where it is located. I'll see you again once you two discovered the body. But the longer you take to discover the body, the more you'll fall behind your peers. So make this quick!" He then disappeared.

Makoto is confused about what's going on, but what he needs to do is clear. He and Sayaka needs to discover a body. They're already falling far behind their classmates. He hoped that the search doesn't take long. He gave Sayaka a nudge.

"Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto said. "Can you listen to be for a moment?"

Sayaka looked up at Makoto. "What?" she said.

"We're falling behind our classmates," Makoto said. "We need to catch up with them as soon as we can. Someone has been murdered in this school."

"...Murdered?" Sayaka said, further tightening her grip on Makoto.

"Stay close to me, Sayaka," Makoto said. "We're going to find out who died."

Sayaka felt uncomfortable about finding a dead body. It reminded her of her dead mother. Even so, she listened to Makoto and remained close to him as they searched the school. She made the mistake of breaking the promise that Makoto made with her, and it nearly got her killed. She isn't willing to make the same mistake again.

Makoto and Sayaka began to search the school, looking for a dead body. Based on the hints Monokuma gave them, the body shouldn't be too far from them. Turns out, he was right. It didn't take long for them to find something suspicious. The room next door was slightly open. They went up to the door to read the nameplate and found out that it was Sayaka's room. This meant that the room they just woke up from is Makoto's room. Sayaka became nervous about entering her room. She feared that something bad must've happened inside. Makoto took a deep breath and assured Sayaka that she'll be safe for now. Sayaka wasn't sure if she fully agrees with Makoto, though.

Makoto and Sayaka soon entered the room, and discovered how much of a mess it is. Sayaka was shocked at the state of her room. She wondered what could've happened in there while she was gone. There are cuts all over the walls and the furniture has been damaged. It reminded Makoto too much about the nightmare he just had.

But it became even more of a nightmare once Makoto and Sayaka laid their eyes on the dead body inside the room. From the moment they saw the dead body, everything about their life in this school changed.

* * *

**Day 6 - 7:30 AM (4 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)  
Dining Room, First Floor**

A few hours ago, the students are gathering in the dining room to have breakfast as usual. Kiyotaka stood in front of the central table doing attendance while Yasuke is doing health surveys as usual. Kiyotaka looked around the room, seeing everyone here. He thinks everything is fine, so he made his announcements.

"Just hang in there, everyone," Kiyotaka announced. "Just a few more hours and the motive will expire. So far, nothing bad has happened. Keep it up, everyone! Soon, we'll be able to escape this school with no dead bodies!"

Celeste rolled her eyes at the statement. She doesn't believe everyone will make it out of the school alive.

Yasuke noticed that something's wrong here. He saw that there are three students that are missing. "Not quite..." he told Kiyotaka.

"Huh? What do you mean 'not quite'?" Kiyotaka asked. "Of course everything's fine! I checked!"

"Look again," Yasuke said. "Did you notice something?"

"Nonsense!" Kiyotaka said. He was about to continue, but then he took another look around the room. He felt that someone's missing. He took out his pocketbook to check. Sure enough, he saw that there were three students that are currently absent. They are Makoto Naegi, Sayaka Maizono, and Yasuhiro Hagakure. "Hmm, you're right, Dr. Yasuke. We are missing three students today! This is so strange. I wonder where they went."

"Wasn't that stupid fortune teller always late?" Natsumi asked. "It's only natural that he wouldn't show up."

"If there's anyone we have to worry about, it's Mr. Makoto Naegi and Miss Sayaka Maizono..." Hifumi added.

Kiyotaka thought about it for moment. "Hmm...that's right," he said. "Makoto and Sayaka not showing up is a bit concerning. They're usually the first ones to show up to the dining hall. What's taking them so long?"

"Are they...you know," Leon replied. He then made a rather...strange gesture.

"Put those hands down, Leon!" Kiyotaka ordered. "That expression is not okay in a school environment! I will not allow such...intimate acts be expressed in this school! Never in my life!"

While it is a possibility that Makoto and Sayaka could be doing...that, there's also another possibility, one that neither Yasuke nor the rest of the students would like to think about. A nasty feeling began to grow in Yasuke's stomach. If something terrible ever happened to Makoto and Sayaka then...

"Something's wrong here," Yasuke said. "I'd better get going. Wait here, everyone." He then ran out of the dining room to everyone's surprise.

"Wait!" Junko cried as she jumped from her seat. She ran out the dining room going after Yasuke. "Yasuke! Wait for me!"

"Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted as he chased after both Junko and Yasuke. "Just what do you think you two are doing? Come back here!"

Kyoko silently watched as three students left the dining room. She suspected that something happened to Makoto and Sayaka, possibly even Hiro too. She didn't know why she did this, but she stood up from her seat and went after the students. Soon, the rest of the students began to follow her, wondering what's going on.

* * *

**Day 6 - 7:35 AM (4 Hours, 25 Minutes Remain)  
Dormitory, First Floor**

The students gathered around in front of Makoto's room to check on Makoto. After arriving there, Kiyotaka began to press the doorbell. He and everyone else waited for Makoto to answer the door. However, he didn't respond. Kiyotaka tried again, but there was still no response. In frustration, Kiyotaka tried to button mash the doorbell, thinking that it'll work this time. To no one's surprise, there was no response, but Kiyotaka continued to hammer the doorbell button anyways.

"There's no need to do that," Kyoko said, pushing Kiyotaka's hand away from the doorbell.

"Hey, don't stop me!" Kiyotaka said. "Just let me continue. If I do this long enough, then maybe Makoto will answer the door!"

"True..." Kyoko replied. "But if you continue what you're doing, you'll annoy Makoto and he won't answer the door anymore. The fact that Makoto isn't responding should be a sign that something's wrong. There is another way, though. We can just open the door."

"Open the door?!" Kiyotaka gasped. "But, that's breaking the rules! You can't do that, or else Monokuma will punish you!"

"That's true...for locked doors," Kyoko replied. "But if the door is unlocked, then we can open it without worrying about breaking the rules. This is our only option. We have no other choice." She then reached out and grabbed the doorknob.

"Hey, there's no way that this will work, right?" Kiyotaka asked. "I mean, there's no way that Makoto would be stupid enough to leave his door-"

Kyoko twisted the doorknob. To everyone's surprise, it turned just fine. She then opened the door up and see inside the room. Everyone was confused at first. They didn't see Makoto in the room, so where could he be? Then everyone looked down, and they all gasped in shock.

On the floor of the room are the bodies of Makoto and Sayaka, with Sayaka resting on top of Makoto.

"What?!" Hina gasped. "No...not Makoto!"

"How?" Leon gasped. "How did Sayaka get all the way here?!"

"How unfortunate," Celeste said. "It appears that the boy I'm interested in is no longer a part of the world of the living."

"This can't be happening!" Hifumi hollered. "Mr. Makoto Naegi...and Miss Sayaka Maizono...they're dead! They're both dead!" He then stopped to think for a moment. "But...wait. Are they really dead, or is this some kind of a cruel joke?"

"Hold on!" Yasuke said as he began to inspect the bodies. "Let me check to see if they're really dead. I don't see any blood, but that's not the only sign."

As Yasuke continued to inspect the bodies with supervision from Kyoko, the others have a discussion about who could've killed Makoto and Sayaka...if both of them are killed to begin with.

"W-Who would do such a thing?" Hina asked. "Why would anyone kill Makoto and Sayaka? They...they didn't do anything wrong, did they?"

"I'm still wondering how Sayaka even got to Makoto's room," Leon said. "I mean, what the hell is she doing there? Shouldn't she be in her room?"

"Isn't the one who killed them that stupid fortune teller?" Natsumi suggested. "He must be hiding from the rest of us after he killed them. He doesn't want to show his stupid little face to us!"

"That's the type of thinking only someone without a brain would come up with," Byakuya said. "Do you realize how idiotic of a move that would be?"

"Wait, the motive!" Mondo shouted. "What about the motive? Does that have something to do with why Hiro disappeared?"

"Oh, right," Hina replied. "I was so scared of dying that I forgot. Yeah, what was the motive again?"

At this moment, Yasuke finished his analysis of the bodies and reported his findings. "Everyone, I have something to report," he said. "Makoto and Sayaka are not dead, but they're unconscious."

"What?! Unconscious?" Hina gasped.

"Well, that's a relief," Leon said. "I thought that Sayaka was dead for a moment. Thanks for the update, doctor!"

"Not so fast, Leon," Kyoko said. "We still have one more missing student to search for: Yasuhiro Hagakure."

"Oh, now we're talking about that stupid fortune teller?" Natsumi said. "Who cares about him? All he ever says are stupid fortunes that will never become true!"

"As much as I hate listening to Hiro's pseudoscience shit, Kyoko's right," Yasuke said. "We still need to search for him. The question is, where could he possibly be? There aren't a lot of places where he could hide."

"We can search for Hiro later," Leon said. "For now, what do we do with Makoto and Sayaka? They are unconscious, so why don't we just carry them to the infirmary?"

"They're going to be fine," Yasuke said. "They just suffered a minor injury. Nothing too major. Just give them a good rest and they'll be okay."

"Seriously?" Leon said. "You're saying that them being unconscious is just a minor injury?"

While the others are talking about what to do with Makoto and Sayaka, Kyoko walked towards the door to Sayaka's room. She suspected that something happened beyond this door. She spent several moments thinking about what could have possibly happened.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Hina asked. "Carry them both to a bed?"

"Are you crazy?" Leon asked. "If we do that, then it's gonna look like Makoto is bedding Sayaka! I can't have that!"

"We, Leon," Kiyotaka corrected. "We. I won't allow these two do such...intimate acts! Such levels of intimacy are not okay in a school environment!"

"Look, they're unconscious," Junko reminded. "Do you really expect unconscious people to do anything other than just lie around? They're going to be fine sleeping with each other."

"Nope. Not gonna happen," Leon replied. "I can't have Makoto sleep with Sayaka. Why don't we just separate them and carry them into their own rooms?"

Right as Leon suggested that they should carry Makoto and Sayaka to their own rooms, Kyoko opened the door to Sayaka's room. To her surprise, the door is unlocked as well. She can't believe how stupid Makoto and Sayaka are for leaving their room doors unlocked. She took a look inside the room and gasped.

"I don't think we can do that," Kyoko said. "Because...I found him."

Everyone rushed to Kyoko's side and look inside the room. Everyone gasped at what they discovered inside. In Sayaka's room is the body of Yasuhiro Hagakure. This time, he's not unconscious like Makoto and Sayaka. He is definitely dead.

It was at this point where everything changed.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma announced over the intercoms. "This is the first body discovery announcement! Everyone, please report to the gym for an explanation for how you'll be solving this mystery!"

Everyone was stunned and confused at the same time. The body discovery announcement? What's that? Everyone had so many questions about this. It's almost overwhelming.

"A-Are you serious?!" Natsumi shouted. "That stupid fortune teller is dead?!"

"You've got to be shitting me!" Mondo shouted.

"T-This can't be!" Toko said.

"T-This has to be a joke!" Hina said. "There's no way that this could be real!"

Yasuke took a closer look at Hiro's body. He didn't have to inspect it, because the signs of death are visible. There are cuts all over this clothing, leaving behind several wounds. Blood is seeping out of his gaping mouth. There are no signs of breathing. It didn't take Yasuke much to come to a conclusion.

"I hate to say it, but this is real," Yasuke announced. "Hiro's dead, and there's no going back."

Hina began to tear up upon realizing that Hiro is really dead. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. "W-Why?" she cried. "Why does this have to happen? Even if we don't like him, Hiro...he deserves to live!"

"I wish that could be the case," Kyoko replied. "But we must move on. We must figure out who killed Hiro and why. Before we can do that however, we must do what Monokuma told us to do. Let's get to the gym. Now."

Kyoko then left the group to head to the gym. The others looked at each other wondering what they should do next. Since Makoto and Sayaka are still alive, Leon suggested that they should wake them up. However, Hina shot that idea down, believing that it's rude to try to wake someone up. Fed up with his peers, Yasuke decided to leave for the gym as well, with Junko following him. This made everyone decide that they should head to the gym as Monokuma had told them, so that's what they did.

On the way to the gym, Leon ran up to Hifumi.

"Excuse me, Hifumi," Leon said. "Do you have a moment?"

"What is it?" Hifumi asked.

"I just remembered," Leon replied. "I need to use the trash room for a moment. Mind if you help me with that?"

"Hey, you know I don't have time to do this!" Hifumi shouted. "How did you get so much trash? Didn't I just clean everyone's trash bin? Ugh, fine!" He then pulled out the keys to the trash room and handed it to Leon. "Here, take the keys. Bring them back when you're done. And if you use the incinerator, be sure to turn it off after you used it. I don't want a fire started in the building."

"Thanks, Hifumi!" Leon said before running off in the opposite direction.

Hifumi then continued to make his way to the gym, wondering how Leon manged to get so much trash in such a short amount of time.

* * *

**Day 6 - 8:00 AM  
Gym, First Floor**

Leon burst through the doors of the gym. "Hey guys, I'm back!" he announced. No one responded, which left Leon wondering. "Uh...did I miss something? What's with the silence?" Still no response from everyone. After being left with nothing but silence from everyone, Leon decided to just go ahead and return the keys to Hifumi.

Everyone waited for Monokuma to arrive. He has expected everyone to arrive here since he just summoned them here. For some reason, he is taking longer than expected to come.

"What's taking him so long?" Kiyotaka asked.

"Don't tell me he's...messing with Makoto and Sayaka," Mondo said.

"That bear better show up soon," Byakuya said. "Otherwise, I see no reason why we all should be in here. I'm going to get out of this room. This is a waste of my time."

"N-No!" Toko cried. "M-Master Togami...please don't leave me!"

Just as Byakuya was about to leave the gym, Monokuma showed up at the stage.

"There you are!" Mondo shouted as he stepped forward and shook his fist at Monokuma. "What were you doing this entire time?"

"Jeez, calm down, corn head," Monokuma said. Mondo is so used to Monokuma calling him that he didn't even react. "I was wondering why two of you guys didn't show up. After all, I meant to say all living students should come to the gym. I was going to check on that lovely couple Makoto and Sayaka and try to get them to the gym, but then I remembered that they're unconscious. They can't do anything! Oh well. Guess I can always repeat what I've told you to them. I hope they really enjoy their time together. Imagine if they took off their own clothes..."

This sent everyone cringing.

"W-What the heck?!" Hina gasped. She then gripped her head as if she's in pain. "No! No, I don't want to hear that! Please, get it out of my head!"

"This is not the time to make such dirty jokes," Kiyotaka shouted. "As I have said earlier, I will not allow my classmates to display such intimate acts with each other!"

"You'd better watch your words," Monokuma warned. "As soon as you died, someone's going to take off their own clothes and-"

"Shut up!" Kiyotaka shouted back. "I will not allow such dirty jokes to be passed around so freely! Now explain to us what's going on! Who killed Hiro?"

"Eh? Who kill Hiro?" Monokuma said. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot. This is the reason why I summoned you all to this gym. You see, now that someone has been murdered, I can move on to the more interesting part."

"What are you even talking about?" Yasuke asked. "Just cut out all this bullshit and get straight to the point. I'm having enough of your nonsense."

"Okay, okay!" Monokuma replied. "I'm getting there, doctor. Don't you dare try to pressure me! Let me give you the details. Following each murder and the discovery of a body, an investigation period will begin. Everyone must look around the crime scenes to look for clues that could point to the killer."

Everyone was shocked to hear the new information.

"What?!" Leon gasped.

"Clues?" Junko gasped.

"Where is all of this coming from?!" Yasuke shouted. "You never told us that we have to investigate a murder!"

Monokuma stared at Yasuke with a seemingly confused look. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" he asked. "Of course I told you about investigating a murder. Remember that rule about getting away with murder? It means that you have to make sure nobody comes to the conclusion that it was you who committed the murder."

"That's not helping!" Yasuke shouted again.

"Monokuma, you cheating bastard!" Sakura roared.

"Hey, don't call me that just yet," Monokuma said. "I'm not even finished. You have a limited amount of time to perform an investigation. Once the investigation period is over, you will all be summoned to the elevator that leads into the trial room."

"Trial room?" Hifumi asked.

"E-Elevator?" Toko asked.

"So, this trial room is like a courthouse, correct?" Byakuya asked.

"Right you are, scion...mostly," Monokuma said. "You see, the trial room of Hope's Peak Academy isn't like your normal trial room. There are no judges. There are no juries. There are no lawyers who can save all of your butts. You're all on your own in the trial room."

"So...we couldn't even hire lawyers to help us out..." Kiyotaka said. "What...kind of trial room is that?"

"That's not all," Monokuma continued. "Once the trial is over, all of you have to vote on whoever you think the killer is. Get it right, and the killer gets executed. But if you get it wrong, then the killer graduates and all surviving students gets executed instead."

Everyone was left in stunned silence. They can't believe it. They can't believe that they'll be risking their lives whenever they participate in a trial. If they get it right, then the killer dies. If they get it wrong, everyone but the killer gets killed. Either way, someone's going to die. It's an unpleasant outcome no matter what happens.

"Did you get all that?" Monokuma asked. He spoke before anyone could answer. "Good! Now, I've updated the rules in case you forget what I just said. Be sure to review them!"

Everyone felt a rumble in their pockets once again. They pulled out their E-Handbooks and reviewed the rules once again.

* * *

List of Rules and Regulations (Version 4):

  1. Students may only reside within the school. Leaving the campus is an unacceptable use of time.
  2. The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am (22:00-07:00). Some areas are off-limits at night.
  3. Sleeping is only permitted in the dormitory. Sleeping anywhere else will be seen as sleeping in class.
  4. With some restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
  5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
  6. Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
  7. Stealing or lending personal belongings is, once again, strictly prohibited.
  8. Breaking into locked doors and rooms is, yet again, strictly prohibited.
  9. Violating any of the above rules will result in immediate punishment. No exceptions.
  10. A student cannot murder another student by forcing them to break a rule. Should this happen, the one who forced the rule break will be one punished instead. This rule applies to rules 5-8. (New)
  11. Anyone who kills a student becomes the "blackened". Blackened students may graduate the school, unless they are discovered.
  12. Once a personal motive has been distributed, the person who received it cannot exchange information about their motive with anyone else. Violation of this rule will result in your motive being revoked.
  13. The above rule remains in place until the body discovery announcement. (Updated)
  14. Once a murder takes place and the body discovery announcement plays, a class trial will begin shortly after. Participation in the class trial in mandatory for all surviving students, unless they're in a condition which renders them unable to participate. (New)
  15. If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they and they alone will be executed. If the guilty party is not exposed, they will graduate and everyone else will be executed instead. (New)
  16. Monokuma will never directly murder someone who has not broken a rule, nor tamper with the crime scene. (New)



* * *

The list of rules was already pretty long when the killing game started. Since then, several new rules have been added, making the list appear even larger. It's surprising how much the list of rules has been updated since the killing game began. It's also surprising for everyone that there's a rule added when Monokuma hasn't even mentioned it.

"Oh, and I almost forgot!" Monokuma said. "If you think you're clever and try to weaponize the rules to try to kill someone, don't even think about it. If you forced someone to break the rules, you'll be the one punished instead of the one you forced a rule break on. I've seen killing games where participants have killed someone by doing just that. It's much more fun seeing people fall victim to their own mistakes, rather than having a mistake be forced onto them. Now then, with everything having been said, let the investigations beg-"

"I'm not participating in this stupid game," Junko muttered, surprising everyone.

"Excuse me?" Monokuma asked. "Could you please let me finish talking? I'm almost done, so please let me say just a few more-"

Junko suddenly ran up to Monokuma and grabbed him by the neck. Everyone was shocked to see this happen, especially Mondo.

"Junko!" Mondo shouted. "What the hell are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Junko, stop!" Yasuke shouted. "Monokuma is dangerous! Don't you dare attack him!"

Monokuma stared at Junko for a moment. "You never seem to learn from your classmates, don't you?" he said.

Junko then threw Monokuma into the floor and began to stomp on him. "This game sucks!" she shouted. "I don't want to play this game anymore!"

"Ow! Ow!" Monokuma shouted. "Hey, cut it out already! Didn't you just read the rules?"

"Shut up, already!" Junko shouted as she continued to stomp on Monokuma. "You can say whatever the hell you want, I'm not playing this stupid game anymore! You hear me?"

Then Monokuma went silent. Everyone could sense bad things coming.

"Shit..." Mondo said. "That chick's going to get herself killed! I must do something about it but...but..."

Monokuma then started flashing and waving his limbs. "YOU HAVE VIOLATED A SCHOOL REGULATION," he said in a more robotic tone.

"Well then do something already!" Kiyotaka shouted.

"VIOLENCE AGAINST THE HEADMASTER IS PROHIBITED. PREPARING EXECUTION." Oddly enough, Monokuma didn't stared beeping. Everyone was still concerned for Junko, however.

"I...can't," Mondo said. "M-must...not...harm...chicks..."

"DO SOMETHING!" Kiyotaka screamed.

"Junko!" Yasuke cried as he ran forward towards Junko.

Everyone was stunned by the unbelievable scene that's happening right before their eyes. Yasuke ran up to Junko and grabbed her by the collar. He then pulled Junko away from Monokuma. Right after Junko was yanked off of Monokuma, several spears emerged from the floor. Junko narrowly avoided getting hit by the spears. One of the spears pierced right through Monokuma, who then exploded shortly afterwards. Yasuke and Junko were knocked off their feet by the explosion, but they were mostly unscathed.

"...What just happened?" Hina asked.

"Did Dr. Matsuda just...saved Junko?" Kiyotaka asked.

"It's like that one scene out of a show," Hifumi remarked.

Yasuke and Junko then got up and looked at each other.

"You okay?" Yasuke asked.

Junko stared at Yasuke looking confused. "What...did you just do?" she asked.

Monokuma then reappeared once again. "Aw, what the hell?" he said. "This isn't supposed to happen! You were supposed to get impaled by the Spears of Gungnir, but then that stupid doctor had to come up and save you from your own execution. I hate it when this happens. This is the second time someone has narrowly avoided an execution from breaking one of the rules. The next time someone breaks a rule, they will definitely be executed. And if you try to save that person, guess what? You'll get executed too! So behave yourselves, everyone, and make sure to follow the rules. Otherwise, you'll end up dead. I can't believe my little speech was ruined. That's it. Go ahead an investigate. I'll be waiting for you at the trial room." He then disappeared once again.

The rest of the students are left wondering on what to do next. It is clear that their only option is to investigate the murder of Hiro, as well as figure out what happened to Makoto and Sayaka. However, not everyone is willing to do the investigation. They were all left scared. Now that Monokuma had explained what happens after a murder, everyone began wondering if continuing to participate in this game is all worth it. It seems that no matter what they do, they will die one way or another.

"What are you all doing?" Kyoko asked everyone, drawing attention to her. "Still staring at each other, wondering who could've murdered Hiro? That's not what we should do."

Byakuya stared at Kyoko for a moment. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kyoko stepped away from the students and faced the doors. "We have plenty of time before the trial begins," she said. "We can use that time to investigate the murder, and figure out who could've murdered Hiro."

"Why would we do that?" Kiyotaka asked. "I have a much simpler solution! Someone, please raise your hand if you murdered Hiro!"

Unsurprisingly, no one raised their hands.

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Yasuke asked, letting out a sigh. "I don't think so. I don't think Monokuma would let this be that easy."

"Exactly," Kyoko replied. "Trying to determine the killer would be risky if we used that method, Kiyotaka. Even if we exclude Makoto and Sayaka, we are sill unlikely to find the killer that way. Someone other than the killer might raise their hand to try to fool everyone, letting the real killer escape while leaving us to die. We can't do that. We can't allow this to happen. We must follow the method that will allow us to definitively uncover the killer."

"So, we're going to investigate Yasuhiro's murder, correct?" Byakuya asked.

Kyoko tilted her head down a little. "Indeed," she replied.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion**

**Deadly Life**


	8. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Deadly Life)

**Day 6 - 8:30 AM**  
**Hallway, First Floor**

Before beginning the investigation, Kyoko checked her E-Handbook to see if there are any important things added. She noticed that the evidence tab was now available to open. She opened up the evidence tab and found something interesting. It's a Monokuma File. What could this Monokuma File contain? Kyoko wasted no time wondering. She tapped on the Monokuma File and read the contents.

 **Monokuma File 1:** The victim was Yasuhiro Hagakure. Time of death was between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. The body was discovered in Sayaka's room, in the dormitory. The victim suffered multiple slashes which lead to his death. There are no signs that the victim was poisoned. In addition, Makoto Naegi and Sayaka Maizono are found unconscious in Makoto's room. They suffered a blunt force impact to the head, with an additional impact found at the back of Sayaka's head.

Kyoko studies the Monokuma File as best as she can. Not only did the file contain information about how Hiro died, it also contained some information on what happened to Makoto and Sayaka. Kyoko doesn't know why Makoto and Sayaka are included in the file if they're not dead. Perhaps there is something more to this case than meets the eye...

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Monokuma File 1**

After taking a look at the Monokuma File, Kyoko turned off her E-Handbook and proceeded on to the crime scene. Along the way, she heard some commotion going on in the infirmary.

"What the hell? Who did this?"

Kyoko turned her attention towards the infirmary. She wondered what's going on over there. She entered the infirmary to see what's going on. There, she saw Yasuke and Junko in the room, with Yasuke complaining about something. Blood is spilled all over the counter, and Yasuke is unhappy about it.

"Blood?" Kyoko said as she entered the infirmary. "Why is there blood?"

Junko turned around and noticed Kyoko. "Oh, hey Kyoko," she greeted. "Um, you better take a look at this."

Kyoko walked up to Yasuke and see what he's complaining about. To her shock, Yasuke is holding a blood pack. It appears that someone made a slit into the blood pack, causing blood to leak out of it and causing a mess.

"How did this happen?" Yasuke asked. "I swear, I locked the door to this room! Ugh, this blood pack is ruined. There's no way I'm using this again."

"Maybe you should've checked the infirmary door," Kyoko said. She thought about why someone would cut into a blood pack. Perhaps this is some cruel prank made by someone to reduce the amount of second chances someone has. But perhaps, there is a good reason why someone cut into this blood pack. It might have something to do with the murder of Hiro.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Blood Pack**

After paying a visit to the infirmary, Kyoko left the room and continued on her way to the crime scene.

* * *

**Day 6 - 8:36 AM**  
**Dormitory, First Floor**

It's a good thing that Makoto and Sayaka lived right next to each other. Other than making them neighbors, it also made Kyoko's job easier, as she doesn't have to travel a lot between the two crime scenes, which are Makoto and Sayaka's room. Accompanying her are Yasuke and Junko.

Kyoko decided to check Makoto's room first, specifically Makoto and Sayaka. She reinspected them to look for clues.

"Kyoko, why are you inspecting Makoto and Sayaka?" Junko asked. "Didn't we already do that? There's no point to checking them again because they're still alive."

Kyoko then took a look at Makoto's left hand. For some reason, it is covered in gold. Upon seeing the new clue, Kyoko shook her head. "Not exactly, Junko," she said. "Makoto and Sayaka might not be dead, but they can still provide us with evidence that can point to a potential culprit. There are clues that we might've missed the first time, like this gold on Makoto's hand."

Yasuke took a look at where Kyoko is pointing at. "Oh, that?" he said. "How did I missed that? I really need to get my eyesight checked." He then began wondering. "Hey, how did Makoto managed to get gold on his hand? Is there something that we missed?"

"Maybe," Kyoko replied. "There must be another clue somewhere that can explain that."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Makoto's Gold Covered Hand**

Kyoko then rubbed her hands on Makoto and Sayaka's heads, making sure not to wake them up. As she made her observations, Yasuke looked back to when he inspected Makoto and Sayaka.

"What could've possibly happened to these two poor souls?" Yasuke asked. "Did they get a baseball bat to the head?"

"You idiot!" Junko shouted. "If that were to happen, then Makoto and Sayaka would die instantly!"

Yasuke stared at Junko with a threatening look, not approving on her insult towards him. He then let out a sigh. "Still, I wonder who could've done this to them. They're lucky that they're still alive, but what if they weren't?"

"Try not to ask yourselves these questions, doctor," Kyoko said as she finished her observations. "We must focus on the investigation. As we discovered earlier, it appears that Makoto and Sayaka have taken a blow to the head. Makoto suffered a blow to his forehead, while Sayaka suffered a blow to both sides of her head. I'm not sure what could've caused this, though, but we'd better move on."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Makoto and Sayaka's Head Injuries**

Kyoko and her team moved onto within Makoto's room and resumed their search for clues. Unlike with Sayaka's room, Makoto's room isn't as messed up. Still, there are clues to be found here.

Junko laid her eyes on what appears to be a stand for a sword. "Huh? What's this thing doing here?" she asked.

Kyoko and Yasuke turn their attention to the sword stand.

"Oh, so that's where it went?" Yasuke said. "I was wondering where that sword went. We found it missing in the display case on the way to the gym. So it appears that Makoto is the one who took the sword."

"But...why?" Junko asked. "Why would he do that? Is he...planning a murder? Could he be the one who murdered Hiro?"

"Calm down," Kyoko said. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't have sufficient evidence to conclude that Makoto is the killer. What we can conclude, is that Makoto is planning to do something with the sword."

"So, can we just wake Makoto up and ask him why he took the sword?" Junko suggested.

"Terrible idea," Yasuke said. "Makoto will freak out upon waking up. It's best if we let him wake up on his own. We can ask him later."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Replica Sword Stand**

Kyoko and her team continued to search Makoto's room, looking for more clues. Unfortunately, they can't seem to be able to find any more clues.

"Aw man, that's it?" Junko said, feeling disappointed.

"Looks like that's every clue we can find in this room," Kyoko said. "Let's move on to Sayaka's room. There's probably a lot of clues for us to find there."

"Wait, hold on a second!" Junko shouted. "What are we going to do with Makoto and Sayaka? Just leave there on the floor all by themselves?"

Silence filled the room as everyone tried to come up with an answer.

Yasuke let out a sigh. "I'll get Sakura and Mondo," he reluctantly said. He then left the room.

"Hey! Yasuke!" Junko shouted as she chased after Yasuke, making sure not to step on Makoto and Sayaka. "We never talked about this! Wait for me!"

Kyoko groaned and shook her head. "Guess I'm doing this on my own," she said. "If only Makoto was awake. He seems like a good partner to have." She then exited the room and moved on to Sayaka's room.

Kyoko entered Sayaka's room and found Kiyotaka inside.

"How did Sayaka managed to mess up her room this much?" Kiyotaka asked himself. "How could this happen? There is no way that someone would be willing to do this to their own room! I will not tolerate this level of carelessness one has to their own room! I expected Sayaka to do better than that!"

Kyoko observed the walls of the rooms. As she saw before, the walls are covered with cuts. She concluded that a fight must've broken out in this room. She once thought that Sayaka and Hiro had a fight together, but that still doesn't explain why Sayaka is in Makoto's room. Even if Makoto and Sayaka are neighbors, it is reasonable to assume that they are staying in their own rooms just like everyone else. Whoever Hiro must've fought with, he left this room in a pretty bad state.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Evidence of a Struggle**

Kiyotaka then turned around and found Kyoko standing at the doorway. "Oh, hey Kyoko!" he said. "Here to collect evidence? I found plenty of them! Let me share some with you!"

Kyoko ignored Kiyotaka and made her own observations. Unless someone has an alibi, there is no reason to collect information from them. She looked around the room searching for evidence. As Kiyotaka said, there is plenty of evidence to be found here.

Kyoko laid her eyes on a gold sword on the floor. She remembered this. It's the same gold sword from the trophy display case. Makoto must've taken this sword to his room, but how it got there to Sayaka's room remained a mystery. For now, she must keep this sword in mind. It could be important evidence.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Replica Sword**

Kyoko continued to search the floor and found another potential weapon: a kitchen knife with some blood stained at the tip. Could this be the murder weapon?

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Kitchen Knife**

Looking around the crime scene make Kyoko think twice about the kitchen knife. It is found next to Hiro's hand, so it is likely that he used it. In addition, according to the Monokuma File, Hiro suffered multiple slashes around his body. Looking at Hiro's dead body, Kyoko could see large areas in his clothes where he is cut. Although the weapon used to kill Hiro was sharp enough to cut his clothes, it wasn't sharp enough to cut into his skin, as Kyoko could see large bruises.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: State of Yasuhiro's Body**

"Um, excuse me?" Kiyotaka asked. "Kyoko? Are you listening to me? Hello? Earth to Kyoko!"

Kyoko continued to ignore Kiyotaka. She didn't want to get evidence from someone else's eyes. She wanted to get evidence with her own eyes. She continued to search the room looking for clues. She didn't found much clues looking around the room, so she turned her attention to Hiro's body. As strange it might've felt to do this, Kyoko began to search through some pockets.

"Hey! Kyoko!" Kiyotaka shouted. "What are you doing? Don't you see that you are disrespecting the dead? Get your hands off of Hiro!"

Kyoko still didn't listen to Kiyotaka as dug through Hiro's pockets. Most of them are empty, and one of them has his E-Handbook. But the most interesting thing she found as a crumpled up ball of paper. It looked like there's writing on it. She flattened out the paper so she could read the text. Upon reading what's on the paper, Kyoko found something surprising.

"I found your crystal ball in the laundry," the note read. "I'm keeping it in my room for now, but you can just visit my room if you want it back. I don't mind."

Looking at the bottom of the paper, Kyoko read that the note was from Sayaka.

"What?!" Kiyotaka gasped. "That note is from Sayaka?"

"According to this note, she did," Kyoko said.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Yasuhiro's Note**

"So, Sayaka is the killer?" Kiyotaka asked. "Or did she set this up to make Makoto the killer? Is Makoto the killer as well?"

"Perhaps," Kyoko replied after some consideration. "But that still doesn't answer some of the questions. What happened to Makoto and Sayaka that caused them to be unconscious? We can't know for sure." She then stood up and did some more pondering. "Hmm...did Sayaka really found a crystal ball in the laundry room?" After much consideration, Kyoko realized something. She ran out of the room and headed for the laundry."

"Hey! Wait up!" Kiyotaka shouted as he ran after Kyoko. "Are you done yet? I still have more evidence!"

Kiyotaka just exited Sayaka's room and was about to head straight towards the laundry room. Along the way, he encountered Mondo and Sakura, who are in the middle of transporting Makoto and Sayaka.

"Hey, Taka?" Mondo said.

Kiyotaka came to a halt and walked up to Mondo. "Oh, hey Mondo!" he greeted. "What are you doing?"

"Sakura and I are about to transport Makoto and Sayaka to a bed," Mondo explained. "What do you say we do?"

"Why don't you just separate those two and just have them sleep on their own beds?" Kiyotaka suggested without much thought.

"Are you crazy?!" Mondo shouted. "There's a dead guy in the chick's room! If she wakes up, she'll discover the body and freak out!"

"What are you saying?" Kiyotaka asked, dismissing Mondo's concerns. "Sayaka is going to be fine! She's going to rest well, even when there's a dead guy in her room!"

"Kiyotaka, I don't think that's going to be a good idea," Sakura said. "We don't have much options. We must let them sleep together on the same bed."

Kiyotaka almost freaked out upon hearing that. "L-Let them sleep on the same bed...together?" he said. He then shook his head in denial. "No! No way! I am not letting that happen! A boy and a girl sleeping in the same room together... There's only one way that this could end, and I'm not letting that happen!"

"Dude, they're both unconscious," Mondo reminded. "Do you expect these two to do anything?"

Kiyotaka was silent for a few moments. His mind went blank as he tried to figure out what two unconscious people could possibly do together.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Mondo replied.

Kiyotaka shifted his eyes from side to side. "I...just remembered," he said. "I have somewhere that I must go to. See you soon!" He then sprinted off towards the laundry room.

Mondo sighed and shook his head. "Ugh," he groaned. "Sometimes I wonder what that man is thinking..."

* * *

**Day 6 - 8:48 AM  
Laundry Room, First Floor**

Kiyotaka burst through the doors of the laundry room.

"I'm here, Kyoko!" Kiyotaka announced. He then walked up to Kyoko. "So what did you find?"

Kyoko turned around, holding a crystal ball in her hands.

"T-That's...!" Kiyotaka gasped.

Kyoko nodded in confirmation. "Yes," she said. "This is Hiro's crystal ball. He must've accidentally left it here while doing some laundry."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Crystal Ball**

"That stupid Hiro!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I can't believe that he would forget such a thing! How did he managed to leave it here? But, at least we can get a chance to look at the future. So Kyoko, what's my fortune? Please tell me it's good!"

Kyoko stared disapprovingly at Kiyotaka, wondering why he would believe such things. Then she remembered that she has questions about this. "Didn't you assign some students with jobs?" she asked. "You did assign Hiro to do laundry, did you?"

"Of course!" Kiyotaka replied. "I did assign laundry to Hiro! He seems like the perfect man for the job. Though admittedly, I had to chose it because of that Natsumi, who I then assigned the cleanup duties to. I also assigned the trash job to Hifumi!"

Whether Kiyotaka said too much information or just enough information depends on the person listening to him. For Kyoko, she got just enough information to suit her needs.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Cleanup Duties**

Kyoko had a feeling that there's still more evidence left to be gathered. Unfortunately, the sources of evidences is starting to become dry. The only sources of evidence left are other students' accounts. That's when Kyoko realized something. Makoto and Sayaka must've been knocked out by someone. Whoever did that to them must be the culprit who killed Hiro. Why didn't they just kill off Makoto and Sayaka will remain a mystery, but that doesn't matter now. What Kyoko needs to know is what the other students are doing the night the murder happened. With this goal in mind, Kyoko exited the laundry room.

"Again?" Kiyotaka said as he watched Kyoko leave. "Kyoko, aren't you going to say anything? Hey, what are you doing right now? Wait up!" He then exited the laundry room chasing after Kyoko.

* * *

Kyoko and Kiyotaka went all around the school looking for students that could have useful alibis for the previous night. They were joined by Yasuke and Junko who don't have anything else to do before the trial begins. The quartet interviewed every student they could find in hopes of finding someone that has a good alibi.

The first person who gave a good alibi was Hina. She gave the others her account of last night.

"Sakura and I are in the dining room last night," Hina said. "We were having a snack before the nighttime announcement plays. While we were having a snack, we saw Sayaka enter the dining room. She explained that she needed a little snack before she goes to bed."

"Did you notice anything strange about Sayaka?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, I don't know," Hina replied. "Wait! Now I know! Okay, so Sayaka...she's acting a little...off. Her hair is all messed up and she's constantly shaking. Her arms are shaking and her face...well, she didn't look like she's in the best condition."

"And you weren't concerned for her?" Yasuke asked.

"Yeah, we didn't think too much about Sayaka," Hina admitted. "I allowed her into the kitchen to get a snack. We soon realized that the nighttime announcement was about to play, so Sakura and I finished up our snack and went into the same room."

"Wait, what?!" Kiyotaka shouted in shock. "Did you just say that you shared a room with another student?!"

"Calm down, Kiyotaka," Junko said. "Don't be so worried. It's just two girls sharing a room together. There's nothing wrong about that."

"Quiet!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I don't care if a boy and a girl are sharing a room or two boys or two girls are sharing a room. I will not allow anyone to share a room!"

"Focus, Kiyotaka," Kyoko reminded. Then she returned her attention to Hina. "So why did you sleep with Sakura?"

"I mean, things are getting pretty scary," Hina replied. "Someone's going to die soon, and it better not be me. I feel like I need someone to protect me, and Sakura is that person. I just feel safer with her."

"Do you realize that you're risking your life by sleeping with another person?" Yasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course..." Hina replied. "But Sakura is a gentle girl. I know it. I know that I'll be safe with her. She'll never kill anyone, not even herself."

"That's not important right now," Kyoko said. "What is important is this. Hina, did you check the kitchen this morning? Did you see anything off about it?"

Hina paused for a moment to come up with an answer. "Uh...no?" she said, looking unsure.

"Well, that's concerning," Kyoko said. "We'll keep your alibi in mind, but right now we need to search the kitchen. Come on, everyone. Let's go to the kitchen."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Hina's Account**

Kyoko and the others began to make their way to the kitchen.

"Hey, wait up!" Hina yelled as she ran after the quartet.

* * *

**Day 6 - 9:10 AM  
Kitchen, First Floor**

The quartet plus Hina entered the kitchen in search for clues. According to HIna, the last person who used the kitchen was Sayaka. Everyone except for Hina began to wonder if Sayaka had taken anything from the kitchen last night. It didn't take long for them to discover something off. Looking at the kitchen knife set, they discovered that one of the kitchen knives is missing. It's not just any kitchen knife. The largest knife appears to be missing.

"That it," Kyoko said before turning over to Hina. "You were tricked, Hina."

"Huh?" Hina reacted. "I was tricked? By who?"

"By Sayaka," Kyoko replied. "You allowed Sayaka into this kitchen, which gave her an opportunity to take one of the knives."

"What?" Hina gasped. "I thought Sayaka was going to the kitchen to get a snack!"

Kyoko shook her head. "No, she did not," she said. "Sayaka entered the kitchen to get a knife. I'm not sure what she's planning to use it for, but whatever she was planning to do, it didn't end well for her. She might be alive for now, but that knife she took ended up somewhere else."

"So, Sayaka is the killer?" Junko asked.

"No way!" Hina shouted. "There's no way that Sayaka is the killer!"

"It might seem to be the case," Yasuke remarked. "But based on the circumstances, it seems unlikely that Sayaka is the killer. Still, it's a possibility. We must keep this in mind."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Kitchen Knife Set**

"There's still more evidence that we need to search for," Kyoko reminded everyone. "We still have more students to talk to. Let's go, everyone."

The quartet exited the kitchen and the dining room, leaving HIna all by herself.

"Fine, leave me alone in here," Hina said. "I'll just...wait around until the trial begins."

* * *

**Day 6 - 9:18 AM  
Hallway, First Floor**

The next student that gave out a useful alibi is Hifumi. Well, he didn't give anything useful about what he was doing last night. It's more like useful information about this morning.

"So Mr. Leon Kuwata walked up to me asking me if I could allow him to use the trash room," Hifumi explained. "I wondered how he manged to get so much trash in just one night. I decided to just ignore it for now and just let him use the trash room. That's all. Still, I can't help but feel that something's...off about Mr. Leon Kuwata."

"Indeed," Kyoko replied. "That trash room is highly suspicious. Anyone can use it to dispose of any evidence that could pin them as the culprit. It is important that the trash room remains accessible to only one person, and to make sure whoever is in charge of the trash isn't the killer."

"I'm not the killer," Hifumi assured. "Really. I'm not. But the same can't be said for Mr. Leon Kuwata. I have a sneaking suspicious that he's up to no good with that trash room. There must be a good reason why he wants to use it, and that reason is that he's the killer!"

Kiyotaka and Junko gasped upon hearing the accusation.

"Really? You think so?" Junko asked.

"So, Leon is the killer now?" Kiyotaka asked.

"We can't be certain that Leon is the killer," Yasuke said. "In fact, we don't have enough evidence to pin anyone as the killer. It could be anyone."

"Hey, it wasn't me," Hifumi said. "I don't remember exiting my room last night."

"Even if we exclude you from the list of suspects, there's still too many suspects to consider," Kyoko said. "Still, we'll keep your alibi in mind."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Hifumi's Account**

The quartet moved on from Hifumi and moved on to another person. This time, it's Celeste they encountered.

"Why, hello there, Kyoko," Celeste greeted. "I hope you are doing well."

Kyoko stared at Celeste, not looking amused at all. She then moved on to interviewing her. "So, what did you did last night?" she asked. "Did you find Hiro's killer?"

"Hiro's killer?" Celeste asked. She then thought about it for a moment. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Say something, Celeste," Yasuke said. "I'm suspicious towards you."

"Tell us something, Celeste," Kyoko said, sounding like she's threatening. "Now."

"Alright," Celeste said. "Fine, I'll tell you my account of yesterday. I saw Makoto take a gold sword from the display. We talked for a moment before he carried that sword to his room."

The hallway fell into silence for a moment.

"Really?" Kiyotaka asked. "That's it? Did that happen last night?"

"Last night?" Celeste asked. "I only said what I saw yesterday. Did you not pay attention to my own words?"

Kiyotaka couldn't help but facepalm himself.

"Anything else?" Kyoko asked, pressing Celeste for information even more.

"That's all I have for now," Celeste replied. "If you ask me for more, I'll say that I have nothing more to say about last night. I saw Makoto take a gold sword. That's all I saw."

Yasuke let out a sigh. "Well, that confirms it," he said. "Makoto was the one who took the gold sword and Sayaka was the one who took the kitchen knife. These two took the weapons used in Hiro's murder. But can we really be sure they are the ones who did it? After all, the weapons were found away from them. And there's still no explanation for how they got knocked out."

"Perhaps these two committed the murder and then someone else came in to knock them out," Celeste suggested.

"We can discuss this during the trial," Kyoko said. "Right now, we should be looking for evidence. Unfortunately, the list of places to search is starting to run low. I'm not sure there's more evidence to be found. No, Makoto and Sayaka must have useful alibis for us to us. We might put them into use. But until they wake up, we can't get their alibis. For now, we'll keep your alibi in mind, Celeste. I have a feeling it'll be put into good use."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Celeste's Account**

After Kyoko finished interviewing Celeste, a bell-like sound began to ring around the school.

"Attention all students," Monokuma announced over the intercoms. "This is a school announcement. The Class Trial is about to begin. All surviving students, please make your way to the elevator room as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for you in the trial room!"

Everyone looked up at the speaker as Monokuma made his announcement.

"Looks like it's time," Yasuke said. "The Class Trial will start soon. We'd better get going."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "Indeed," she said. She was about to head off to wherever the elevator room is, but was interrupted.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Kiyotaka said. "What about Makoto and Sayaka? What are we supposed to do with them? Just leave them behind? They're falling behind the rest of us. How are they supposed to catch up?"

"Oh yeah, those two," Junko said. "Yeah, I wonder when they're going to wake up. They've been out for quite a while. Are you sure they're going to be fine?"

Celeste was about to open her mouth to give her answer, but then Mondo rushed into the scene.

"Guys! Everyone!" Mondo shouted as he gasped for air.

"What is it Mondo?" Kiyotaka asked.

Mondo only had enough air to speak a few words. "Makoto! Sayaka!" he shouted. "They're waking up!"

Kiyotaka and Junko gasped upon hearing the news.

"Makoto and Sayaka are about to wake up?" Kiyotaka said.

"Right now?" Junko gasped.

"Took them long enough," Yasuke remarked.

Mondo took a moment to take in a few more breaths. "I'm going to get everyone else," he said. "Get to Makoto's room now!"

Kiyotaka took a step forward. "Alright, everyone!" he said. "Let's give Makoto and Sayaka a good morning!" He then looked around and saw that everyone is giving him disapproving looks. "Oh...right."

* * *

**Day 6 - 9:45 AM  
Elevator Room, First Floor**

After seeing Makoto and Sayaka wake up, the rest of the students gathered around in the elevator room. It is located behind two large red doors that won't open until now. Everyone waited around for Monokuma to show up. Hina is still grossed out by the disgusting joke Monokuma made.

"So...what now?" Leon asked. "What's taking Monokuma so long?"

"Probably giving Makoto and Sayaka a lecture on what's going on," Kyoko replied. "What we're doing, how the investigation works, how the trial works..."

"Man, they have a lot to catch up on," Kiyotaka said. "It's probably going to take them a long time to catch up."

"And by long time, do you mean more than a few minutes?" Leon asked.

"Of course not!" Kiyotaka replied. "It feels like I'm been standing here for forever!"

Leon frowned at Kiyotaka. "No you're not," he said. "We've been standing here waiting for a few minutes..."

While others are waiting, Junko leaned over to Yasuke and see what he's up to. She saw that Yasuke is on his E-Handbook reviewing all the evidence. "That's a lot of evidence," she said. "Are you sure that we'll be able to find the culprit?"

Yasuke silently shook his head. "I'm not sure," he replied. "Even if we eliminate everyone that couldn't be the killer, we still have several suspects to choose from. We can't know the killer for certain."

"Who do you think the killer is?" Junko asked.

Yasuke stared at everyone for a while. "I can't say," he replied.

Monokuma then finally showed up, much to the surprise, and relief, of everyone.

"There you are," Mondo said with a slight growl to his voice. "Finally..."

"So, you've finally come," Kiyotaka said. "What about Makoto and Sayaka? Are they going to come?"

"Oh don't worry about these two lovebirds!" Monokuma replied. "They're probably going to come after they-"

Yasuke shook his head in disapproval. "Please...don't do this, Monokuma," he said. "We're not going to laugh at your shitty jokes."

"Okay! Okay!" Monokuma said. "I promise. I won't make any dirty jokes during the trial."

Everyone had a sneaking feeling that Monokuma will make another dirty and messed up joke after the trial is over.

"Anyways, Makoto and Sayaka will join the rest you," Monokuma said. "Just...don't expect them to show up early on."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Great," she sarcastically said. "Can we now move on?"

"Okay, fine!" Monokuma said. "I'll move on, alright? So, you're all here. Great! Now, let's get started on your first class trial. Here comes the elevator!"

The elevator then comes up the shaft right on cue. It looks like an old elevator.

"...That's the elevator?" Yasuke said. "Looks like shit."

"Hey, don't call the elevator that!" Monokuma said. "This elevator is perfectly fine! It'll do it's job. Now, get in everyone!"

The elevator then opened up, and everyone entered inside. As soon as everyone there the elevator, the elevator doors closed up, and the elevator begins to descend."

"See you in the trial room," Monokuma said as he waved goodbye to everyone...for now.

The elevator rocks as it descends deeper into the ground. Everyone began to wonder how deep the elevator goes. Who knows how deep they are into the ground. This elevator probably goes deeper than the highest building in the world. If that's the case, then this elevator would be impressive for being an old style of elevator. Elevator technology has progressed significantly since its invention, yet this elevator managed to beat out every modern elevator. Then again, this elevator probably doesn't have many destinations, or maybe the elevator doesn't go too far down.

The elevator soon reaches its destination. The doors open up and everyone walks out. They're soon met with the trial room.

The trial room is a circular room with a circle of podiums at the center of it all. There are 16 podiums in the trial room, each corresponding to every participant. Every podium has a different name on it, as well as a pixelated picture of a student. One of the podiums is already occupied, that being the late Yasuhiro Hagakure. In his place is a picture with his face on it, with the picture being crossed out.

"Ugh," Hina said as she shuddered. "I don't like the look of that..."

"So this is the trial room..." Yasuke said as he looked around.

The trial room is decorated with a cosmic theme to it. There are stars dotting the walls of the trial room, as well as a band of nebular clouds. It's almost as if they're in a planetarium. Out of all the stars, there are three which are much brighter than the rest of the stars. These three stars appear to be relatively close to each other, forming a triangle on the roof of the trial room.

"Wait, are we studying astronomy?" Junko asked. "Since when? I don't remember us starting astronomy. Is there an Ultimate Astronomer in the building or an Ultimate Astronaut?"

"...Don't even think about it," Yasuke said.

Monokuma then showed up, sitting atop the big chair behind the circle of podiums. "Welcome to the trial room, everyone," he greeted. "This room is where you'll discuss who you think the killer is. Once you've made your decision, it's time to vote on who the killer is. Get it right, and the killer will get executed. But get it wrong, and the killer graduates, and you'll all be executed. Now then, get to your podiums. They all should have your names and pictures on it. Oh by the way, about that fortune teller. It's unfortunate that he died before he gets to participate in a trial, so I made a picture just so he doesn't have to miss out on the trial. Now hurry up and get to your podiums!"

Everyone walked up to the podiums with their names on it. Starting from the student in front of and to Monokuma's left, the order of the students are the late Yasuhiro Hagakure, Natsumi Kuzuryu, Byakuya Togami, Celestia "Celeste" Ludenburg, Leon Kuwata, Toko Fukawa, Hifumi Yamada, two empty podiums, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Junko Enoshima, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Mondo Owada, Aoi "Hina" Asahina, and finally Dr. Yasuke Matsuda.

"Oh no..." Toko said. "I-I'm not sitting next to Master Togami!"

Byakuya leered at Toko. "Shut up," he said.

"What the hell?" Natsumi complained. "I'm standing next to that dead stupid fortune teller! Why?!"

"Yeah, me too," Yasuke said. "What's the deal with this?"

"Hate to say it, but that's the way it is," Monokuma said. "Now shut up already!"

Hina looked at the two empty podiums. "Hey, what about those two?" she asked, pointing to the empty podiums. "Aren't they going to be occupied?"

"Oh, those two podiums?" Monokuma said. "The ones right in front of me? Oh, don't worry about that. Those podiums are for that lovely couple Makoto and Sayaka. They'll come here...shortly...after they've finished doing their...business."

Everyone gave Monokuma a disapproving look.

"Hey, I wasn't explicit about what Makoto and Sayaka are probably doing," Monokuma said. "Now, insert your E-Handbooks into the slots in front of you."

Everyone looked down and saw a slot in the podium. It looks like it could fit their E-Handbooks. They pulled out their E-Handbooks and inserted it into the slots. To everyone's surprise, it worked. The E-Handbook turned on and started the trial mode.

"Ah, the wonders of technology," Monokuma said. "It's amazing what technology can do. Just look at me for example. I'm so advanced, that...I used the same joke twice. Eh, forget about it. We're behind schedule, so let the class trial begin!"

And so, the first trial dawns on the survivors. Everyone has several questions about the case. Who is the culprit of this case? Why did they do it? And what are the events of the case? All of these questions will be answered as the first trial goes on.

* * *

**Truth Bullets**

  * **Monokuma File 1:** The victim was Yasuhiro Hagakure. Time of death was between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. The body was discovered in Sayaka's room, in the dormitory. The victim suffered multiple slashes which lead to his death. There are no signs that the victim was poisoned. In addition, Makoto Naegi and Sayaka Maizono are found unconscious in Makoto's room. They suffered a blunt force impact to the head, with an additional impact found at the back of Sayaka's head. **  
**
  * **Blood Pack:** One of the blood packs was found to be cut open. The pack had a small, thin cut on it, causing blood to spill from it.
  * **Makoto's Gold Covered Hand:** Makoto's left hand was found to be covered with a layer of gold dust.
  * **Makoto and Sayaka's Head Injuries:** Makoto and Sayaka were found knocked out
  * **Replica Sword Stand:** Found in Makoto's room. It is originally found in the display case in the athletics area. The gold replica sword was missing from it.
  * **Evidence of a Struggle:** Sayaka's room was found in a mess, with slashes and cuts all over the walls and furniture. This indicates that a fight broke out in the room.
  * **Replica Sword:** Found in Sayaka's room. It was originally found on the stand in the display case
  * **Kitchen Knife:** Found in Sayaka's room next to the late Hiro. The tip of the blade is found to be covered in blood, although where the blood came from remains unknown.
  * **Status of Yasuhiro's Body:** Hiro's clothes were cut, leaving behind big bruises on his body. This implies that the weapon used to kill him is sharp enough to cut through his clothes, but not sharp enough to cut his skin.
  * **Yasuhiro's Note:** Found on Hiro's body. According to the note, this was written as a message from Sayaka. The note reads, "I found your crystal ball in the laundry room. I'm keeping it in my room for now, but you can just visit my room if you want it back. I don't mind."
  * **Crystal Ball:** Found in the laundry room. Hiro was looking for this before his death.
  * **Cleanup Duties:** Early on in the killing game, Kiyotaka assigned several students with cleanup duties. Hiro was assigned laundry, Hifumi was assigned garbage duty, and Natsumi was assigned floor cleanup.
  * **Hina's Account:** Hina and Sakura are in the dining room the night of the murder when Sayaka entered the room. According to Hina, Sayaka looked a bit off from her usual self. She entered the kitchen to get something, and presumably came out before the nighttime announcement.
  * **Kitchen Knife Set:** A set of knives for culinary use. One of the knives, the largest ones, was found missing when it was checked the morning after the murder.
  * **Hifumi's Account:** On the way to the gym, Leon approached Hifumi and asked him if he could grant access to the trash room. Hifumi wasn't sure why Leon wanted to use the trash room or how Leon managed to get so much trash, but decided to give Leon the keys regardless.
  * **Celeste's Account:** Makoto was seen taking the gold replica sword from the display case the day before the murder. He encountered Celeste and exchanged a few words with her before heading to his room.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The very first case of the Danganronpa franchise is something that I would say does its job really well. It established the franchise as one where anyone can die, even the seemingly important ones; where no one can be fully trusted; where most characters have an understandable motive behind even the most heinous of actions. Despite generally being a good case, I feel like there are some areas where this could be improved. Spoiler warning for Danganronpa 2 and V3.
> 
> One problem I have with the first case of Danganronpa 1 is that Sayaka's death doesn't impact her love interest that much. Sure, Makoto is shocked that his friend betrayed him and died because of her own actions, but in the end, Makoto is pretty much the same person as what he was before anyone died. I imagined that Makoto would be invested in anyone who treats him as a friend, especially in a situation where trust is difficult to earn. If he learned that his friend had betrayed him, Makoto would probably have a much harder time making friends again. Instead, he's still making friends with his classmates as if nothing had happen. I feel like if Sayaka's death had a bigger impact on Makoto's character, that would go a long way into making player's perception of her a lot better, and it would probably make Makoto's development a lot better. In fact, this has been pulled off better in future entries.
> 
> Take Fuyuhiko for example. Before Peko's death, Fuyuhiko was a cruel young boy who would call some of his classmates derogatory names, sometimes threatening them with death. After Peko's death, Fuyuhiko became a lot nicer. He still might go back to his old cruel ways, but he changed himself. Peko's death impacted Fuyuhiko and started his character development.
> 
> Shuichi is another case where the death of his love interest made an impact. Before Kaede's death, Shuichi was an insecure boy who's afraid to face the truth due to a traumatizing incident. After Kaede died, Shuichi began to open up with his classmates and became willing to face the truth, even if it hurts. Kaede's death had impact. Of course, it all turns out in the end that Shuichi's character development was nothing more than a lie, but still, he did change as a person after the death of his love interest.
> 
> But even if I would like if if Sayaka's death changed Makoto for better or for worst, killing her off this early on into the killing game isn't something that I'm willing to do. I'm also not willing to do the reverse, killing off Makoto instead of Sayaka. I feel like this idea is better explored by another writer. For now, I have a lot of things planned for Sayaka that would make her wish that she was dead. Sayaka is an interesting character for me. She has a fragile mind that will never last long in a killing game. If she survived long enough to be subjected to suffering, well does she really want to experience all that pain?
> 
> Another problem I have with the first case is that the killer is too obvious, especially for English players. Once the player sees the numbers 11037, it's not hard to put two and two together and conclude that Sayaka wrote her killer's name. If the survivors had figured that out sooner, it will pretty much negate the entire investigation and make all the evidence unnecessary. The way I would like to solve this is to make the killer a lot less obvious, which would make every evidence count.
> 
> However, that's not to saw that I did a great job at hiding the true killer. People are suspicious of Leon because he requested to use the trash room for some reason. Using the trash room is exactly what Leon tried to do to get rid of the evidence that he's the killer. Then again, you can't always trust what you see and hear in Danganronpa. It's probably a red herring in this case. It's probably not. Who knows! You'll just have to wait until I publish the trial chapter to know for sure.
> 
> The trial chapter will come up in a few days, assuming I work on it. In the meantime, go ahead and make your theories about what happened. I'm curious to see what you readers think.


	9. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Trial)

**Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion**

**Trial**

The first trial dawns on everyone, and already they're not off to a great start. With Yasuhiro dead and Makoto and Sayaka unconscious, everyone is left confused about what's going on. Can anyone break through the fog of confusion and pin down the true culprit?

* * *

**Truth Bullets**

  * **Monokuma File 1:** The victim was Yasuhiro Hagakure. Time of death was between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. The body was discovered in Sayaka's room, in the dormitory. The victim suffered multiple slashes which lead to his death. There are no signs that the victim was poisoned. In addition, Makoto Naegi and Sayaka Maizono are found unconscious in Makoto's room. They suffered a blunt force impact to the head, with an additional impact found at the back of Sayaka's head. **  
**
  * **Blood Pack:** One of the blood packs was found to be cut open. The pack had a small, thin cut on it, causing blood to spill from it.
  * **Makoto's Gold Covered Hand:** Makoto's left hand was found to be covered with a layer of gold dust.
  * **Makoto and Sayaka's Head Injuries:** Makoto and Sayaka were found knocked out
  * **Replica Sword Stand:** Found in Makoto's room. It is originally found in the display case in the athletics area. The gold replica sword was missing from it.
  * **Evidence of a Struggle:** Sayaka's room was found in a mess, with slashes and cuts all over the walls and furniture. This indicates that a fight broke out in the room.
  * **Replica Sword:** Found in Sayaka's room. It was originally found on the stand in the display case
  * **Kitchen Knife:** Found in Sayaka's room next to the late Hiro. The tip of the blade is found to be covered in blood, although where the blood came from remains unknown.
  * **Status of Yasuhiro's Body:** Hiro's clothes were cut, leaving behind big bruises on his body. This implies that the weapon used to kill him is sharp enough to cut through his clothes, but not sharp enough to cut his skin.
  * **Yasuhiro's Note:** Found on Hiro's body. According to the note, this was written as a message from Sayaka. The note reads, "I found your crystal ball in the laundry room. I'm keeping it in my room for now, but you can just visit my room if you want it back. I don't mind."
  * **Crystal Ball:** Found in the laundry room. Hiro was looking for this before his death.
  * **Cleanup Duties:** Early on in the killing game, Kiyotaka assigned several students with cleanup duties. Hiro was assigned laundry, Hifumi was assigned garbage duty, and Natsumi was assigned floor cleanup.
  * **Hina's Account:** Hina and Sakura are in the dining room the night of the murder when Sayaka entered the room. According to Hina, Sayaka looked a bit off from her usual self. She entered the kitchen to get something, and presumably came out before the nighttime announcement.
  * **Kitchen Knife Set:** A set of knives for culinary use. One of the knives, the largest ones, was found missing when it was checked the morning after the murder.
  * **Hifumi's Account:** On the way to the gym, Leon approached Hifumi and asked him if he could grant access to the trash room. Hifumi wasn't sure why Leon wanted to use the trash room or how Leon managed to get so much trash, but decided to give Leon the keys regardless.
  * **Celeste's Account:** Makoto was seen taking the gold replica sword from the display case the day before the murder. He encountered Celeste and exchanged a few words with her before heading to his room.



* * *

**Class Trial 1**

**IN SESSION  
**

* * *

"Greetings, everyone," Monokuma began. "Welcome to the first trial of this killing game. Present your arguments as to who you think the killer is. Once you think you've got it figured it out, it is time to vote. If the true culprit gets the majority of the votes, then they and they alone will get executed. But if you vote for the wrong person or can't reach a consensus, then I'll execute everyone but the culprit. So, choose wisely."

"Didn't we already hear about this?" Hifumi asked. "You really don't have to repeat yourself..."

"Shut up," Yasuke said. "We shouldn't focus on that."

"S-so, what should we focus on?" Toko asked.

"I say we focus on the details of the murder!" Kiyotaka declared. "Listen to me everyone! Let's review the facts before we move on to opinions!"

Yasuke turned his attention to the two empty podiums in front of him. _Makoto and Sayaka are taking a long time to get here_ , he thought. _One of them looks like they could carry the trial. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be a while before they show up. Maybe Kyoko could carry this trial. She knows everything about this case. Perhaps she's got it figured out..._

"Hold on!" Leon shouted. "Aren't we forgetting something? We don't have any lawyers to defend us! How are we supposed to get through this?"

"Who needs lawyers?" Celeste said. "We should be able to get through this on our own."

Leon looked at Celeste with a baffled look. "What?" he said. "What do you mean by that? We can't get through this without any lawyers, and the judge is that stupid bear over there!"

"Hey, don't call me a bear!" Monokuma shouted. "Or stupid!"

Celeste let out a little giggle. "Since we don't have lawyers, we'll have to do this on our own," she began to explain. "We'll be serving multiple roles during the class trial, including lawyer, prosecute, jury member, and defendant. All at the same time, all at different points."

"This doesn't make any sense," Yasuke said. "We're both a lawyer and a defendant at the same time? What kind of crap is this? I've heard of a few instances where a lawyer becomes a defendant, but never both of those roles at the same time in the same trial."

"Well, doctor, this class trial works nothing like any old trial," Monokuma said. "You can be both a lawyer and defendant at the same time. That's how the class trial goes."

Yasuke let out a soft growl in frustration. _This is going to feel so wrong,_ he thought. _I have little clue about how real trials work, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes. Is there an Ultimate Lawyer in the building? There should've been one._

"Can we please continue?" Kiyotaka said, almost losing his patience. "We've been dragging this out for far too long! We need to get to the important things first!"

"Hey, it isn't that long," Leon said. "The class trial just started!"

"Quiet, already!" Kiyotaka shouted. "We need to get going! Let's start this discussion now!"

Yasuke took a look at Kyoko again. She hasn't said anything since the class trial began. Then again, so does several other students. There is a chance that she could speak, but the chances are next to none.

Yasuke took in a deep breath as he readied himself. _Alright,_ he thought. _If no one's going to do it, then I guess it's up to me now. Time to break down what happened last night._

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 1**

**START**

Kiyotaka: Alright, then! Let's review the information! The victim in this case is **Yasuhiro Hagakure**!

Mondo: Dude, do you really have to repeat what we already know?

Toko: T-The victim's body...was found in Sayaka's room!

Hina: Not only that, but Makoto and Sayaka were found in Makoto's room...

Celeste: These two must be really lucky that they are alive. I look forward into testing my luck against them.

Natsumi: That stupid fortune teller went out in a horrible way... He didn't even get a **chance to resist**!

_Huh? What someone said clearly contradicts what we already know. I'd better act fast before this whole discussion is taken in the wrong direction!_

Truth Bullet Used: **Signs of a Struggle**

Weak Point Refute: **"chance to resist"**

That's wrong!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Hold it, Natsumi," Yasuke said. "You're getting something wrong!"

Natsumi turned her head towards Yasuke looking confused. "Huh? What do you mean I got something wrong?" she asked.

"Aw man, not this again," Hifumi said. "How many times must someone make that mistake?"

Everyone ignored that Hifumi said and continued on with the discussion.

"Think back to what the crime scene looked like," Byakuya said. "Now, do you notice something? Was it all the cuts that are all over the walls?"

"What?!" Natsumi gasped. "There were cuts all over the walls?"

"There's no doubt about it," Sakura said. "A fight did broke out in Sayaka's room. And sadly, Hiro did not survive the fight."

"Hiro isn't much of a fighter," Yasuke added. "It's no surprise that he'll lose in a fight. But if the cuts on the walls indicate anything, is that he's not going down without a fight."

"That stupid fortune teller has that much fight in him?" Natsumi said in surprise. "I always thought that he was weak!"

"Did you even take a look inside Sayaka's room?" Byakuya asked Natsumi. "We all saw how it looked. You should know about the cuts by now."

Natsumi remained silent for a moment as she tried to look back at her memories of this morning. She realized that she didn't get a good look at Sayaka's room. "Man, how did I forget about that?" she asked herself. "I should've noticed that..."

"See, that's why you should be a pianist!" Leon suggested. "I'm sure pianist have great attention to detail!"

"Shut up, Leon!" Natsumi shouted. "Who do you think am I? An artist?"

Awkward silence began to fill the trial room. Byakuya then leered at Leon and Natsumi in disapproval.

"Enough with your nonsense," Byakuya said. "You're only wasting everyone's time. Now, let's focus on the more important question here: who attacked Yasuhiro?"

The question of who attacked Hiro made everyone talk to each other. Everyone...except for Kyoko. She just watched everyone throw their thoughts around.

"I-It must be you, Natsumi!" Toko said, pointing to Natsumi. "Y-You're the one who attacked and killed Hiro! Y-You have...something a-against him. T-That's it! It must be you!"

"W-why me?" Natsumi asked. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"You're forgetting something, aren't you, worm?" Byakuya asked, looking right at Toko (who appears to be getting...excited). "This girl here ruined her own motive by revealing it to the rest of us."

"Hey!" Natsumi shouted. "It's not my fault that I can't see my brother's fault! If anything, it's all Monokuma's fault! He didn't warn me about the rule against sharing our motives!"

"Hey, don't blame it on me," Monokuma said. "If anything, it's all your fault, Natsumi! You weren't aware of that rule, so it's your fault that you ruined your own motive."

Natsumi growled in frustration and gritted her teeth.

"Calm down, everyone," Yasuke said. "Let's not throw around accusations just yet. There's no way that Natsumi is the culprit, because she ruined her own motive. That means that she'll have no reason to go after Hiro, since she won't be able to escape this school with any benefits."

"Hmm...you're right, Yasuke," Junko said, nodding in agreement. "You're absolutely right. What good is escaping this school if you don't get to see your brother again, Natsumi?"

"...Don't you dare talk about my brother again," Natsumi said threateningly.

"Hold on a sec!" Hina said. "What about our motives? Since someone has died, we can talk about our motives, right?"

"We don't have time to do this," Yasuke said. "But now that you mention it, there might be a possibility. There's a special motive Monokuma gave out to two students. If those two students really did get the special motive, then it's likely they are the ones who attacked Hiro and killed him."

"Oh yeah," Hina realized. "I almost forgot about that one."

"That still brings up another question," Junko added. "Which two students are the ones who got the special motive?"

Everyone was about to offer up their suggestions, but it didn't take long before someone gave a correct response.

"It's Makoto and Sayaka," Kyoko said.

"What?!" Hina gasped. "Those two? They're the ones who got the special motive?"

Yasuke began thinking about it, and it begins to make sense to him. "Hmm...that does seem right," he said. "It is unusual how both Makoto and Sayaka didn't get their motive video at the same time as the rest of us. Perhaps they are the ones who got the special motive."

"It's not just that," Kyoko said. "I saw Makoto and Sayaka leave the gym when the additional motive was being talked about. They-"

"Oh, forget about those two," Kiyotaka said. "I'm sure these two left the gym because they saw no reason to stay in the gym. After all, since they didn't get a motive video, why should they care? For all we know, the two people that got a special motive were the ones that already got their motive videos!"

Kyoko stared at Kiyotaka in disapproval. She felt disrespected. So much for being the Ultimate Hall Monitor. Kiyotaka is being straight up rude.

"Wait, don't change the topic," Yasuke said. "We still have more to-"

"Quiet!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Don't interrupt me! I have a lot of things to talk about in regards to who got the special motive. Now, listen to me!"

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 2**

**START**

Kiyotaka: We need to focus on something else. And that is, who got the special motive?

Junko: Isn't it clear already? It's **Makoto and Sayaka** , no one else!

Kiyotaka: No! No way that it's them! They never even got their motive video!

Sakura: Are you sure about that? Makoto and Sayaka looked tired the day after we got our motive videos.

Leon: Well, something must've happened to then.

Kiyotaka: Quiet already! Didn't you hear what I just said? There's **no way it's Makoto** , and it's **no way that it's Sayaka**. Now, can we please try to figure out who got the special motive?

_Ugh, this guy! He just won't listen to us. It is clear already that Makoto and Sayaka were the ones that got the special motive. If there's anything that can prove that one of them did it, it's got to be this one._

Truth Bullet Used: **Yasuhiro's Note**

Weak Point Refute: **"no way that it's Sayaka"**

That's wrong!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Hold on, Kiyotaka," Yasuke said. "There's something that could point to Sayaka as a potential suspect, and that is the note on Hiro!"

"Huh? What?" Kiyotaka reacted in confusion.

"Didn't you see that note?" Kyoko asked. "It clears says that the note was written by Sayaka. Or at least, her name was written on it. What happened to you that made you think otherwise?"

"Well...I once considered that Sayaka could be the culprit," Kiyotaka explained. "But after careful consideration, I determined that Sayaka couldn't have done it! She couldn't have killed Hiro! Even if she's the one that wrote that letter, there is no way that Sayaka could've been the culprit. Because she was unconscious along with Makoto!"

"That's true," Byakuya said. "But there is still a possibility that Sayaka is the culprit."

"What is it?" Kiyotaka asked.

"She could've been knocked out after she murdered Yasuhiro," Byakuya stated.

"What?!" Hina gasped. "How is this possible? There's no way that's the case. I mean, Sayaka and Makoto were knocked out when the murder happened. Are you saying that there is another possibility?"

"We don't know the exact timeline of events that happened the night before," Byakuya explained. "Therefore, the order at which the events occurred is up to interpretation. The way I see it, Sayaka could've murdered Hiro, tried to escape to Makoto's room, and then was knocked unconscious."

"T-That seems r-reasonable..." Toko said.

"Wait, what about the two weapons?" Natsumi asked. "There are two weapons that are found within the crime scene. If Sayaka is the killer, then she would only need one weapon. Why would she need two weapons to kill someone?"

Byakuya thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps, Sayaka didn't murder Yasuhiro alone," he said. "She murdered Yasuhiro with the help of someone else. That someone else...is Makoto."

"What?!" Hina gasped again.

"There are two killer?!" Natsumi said.

"Nonsense!" Kiyotaka shouted. "There's no way that Makoto and Sayaka killed Hiro! Remember, they're both knocked out, so there's no way that they could've done anything!"

"T-This shouldn't be possible..." Junko said. "There are two killers at the same time... How does that even work? What happens if there are two killers in the case?"

"Eh? What happens if there are two killers?" Monokuma repeated. "Well, I would like to tell all of you kids how it works, but this case is a special case. As such, I will save the explanation until Makoto and Sayaka participate in this trial."

Junko growled at Monokuma for withholding information.

"But...why would they do it?" Hina asked. "Why would Makoto and Sayaka kill Hiro together?"

"Let's look back to when Monokuma gave us the additional motive," Kyoko said. "He said that he has given two people a special motive. He also said something else, but that's not important for now. The important part is that there are two people with a special motive, and those two people are Makoto and Sayaka."

"Finally, we've come back to that topic," Yasuke said in relief. "Everyone, don't try to interrupt. This is important information that we have to hear."

"Hey Kyoko, how did you managed to figure that out?" Hina asked. "Sorry, I must've forgotten."

Kyoko doesn't want to repeat what she said, but she felt like she must. She took in a deep breath as she explained how she got her answer. "During the discussion about the additional motive Monokuma gave us, I saw Makoto and Sayaka leave the gym through the back door. That's how I determined that they are the ones who got the special motive."

"So they are the ones with the special motive," Sakura remarked. "And they are the ones who left the gym. I see. We should've been more attentive. We should've noticed that they are missing from the gym."

"That's not the only evidence," Yasuke added. "Makoto and Sayaka are also the only ones who didn't get their motive video, at least at the same time as the rest of us. There is something, however, that suggests that they did got their motive video that gave them their special motive. That evidence, is their state of tiredness last morning."

"Their state of...what now?" Leon asked.

"Makoto and Sayaka are unusually tired yesterday," Kyoko explained, clarifying what Yasuke said. "That suggests that something happened to them the night before. It is likely that they got their motive video and the special motive, which made them lose their sleep."

"So...what's the special motive?" Hina asked.

"I'm not sure what the special motive is," Kyoko replied. "My best guess is that whatever their motive is, it benefits both Makoto and Sayaka."

"So that's it," Natsumi said. "If both Makoto and Sayaka benefit from killing someone, why wouldn't they work together to set up a murder?"

"How many times do I have to tell you guys?" Kiyotaka asked. "There's no way that Makoto or Sayaka could be the culprit, because they-"

"Dude...no need to repeat what we know," Mondo said.

As everyone continued their discussion about the special motive and whether or not Makoto and Sayaka are the culprits, two people finally show up to the class trial.

"Hey, everyone," Makoto greeted as he and Sayaka entered the trial room. "Sorry if we're late..."

"Ah! Makoto! Sayaka!" Kiyotaka greeted. "I knew you two will come soon! Now get on the podiums! We have a discussion going on!"

Makoto and Sayaka stood on the two empty podiums, with Makoto standing next to Hifumi and Sayaka standing next to Kiyotaka. They saw the slots on the podium and inserted their E-Handbooks into it. Then, they joined the rest of their classmates in the class trial.

"So, what did we miss?" Makoto asked. "Sorry, Sayaka and I are way behind the rest of you guys. Where should we start?"

Nearly everyone in the trial room turn their eyes on Makoto and Sayaka.

"Um...what's with all the weird looks?" Sayaka asked.

"...You two murdered Yasuhiro, did you?" Byakuya asked.

"What?!" Makoto and Sayaka gasped.

"A-Are you accusing me of being the killer?!" Makoto shouted.

"N-No...this can't be right!" Sayaka cried. "There's no way that Makoto and I are-"

"Trying to deny that you're the killer, correct?" Celeste asked. "Classic defense strategy. Unfortunately, just trying to deny it won't get you anywhere."

"Just admit it already," Byakuya demanded. "You two killed Yasuhiro together in a futile attempt to escape this school. You two are the ones with the special motive."

"W-What?" Makoto said. "How did you managed to figure that one out?"

"I had a feeling someone's going to figure that out..." Sayaka said.

"So, now what?" Natsumi asked. "Are we done yet? Can we just vote these two out or-"

"Hold it!"

"No...this isn't right!" Makoto declared. "This can't be right! There's no way that Sayaka and I are the killers!"

"Huh?" Sayaka said, sounding a bit confused at first. "Uh...yeah! It wasn't me or Makoto! We didn't do it! We didn't murder Hiro!

"Hey! Shut your stupid mouth up!" Natsumi shouted. "Can't you give a lady some respect?"

"Makoto, Sayaka? What are you two doing?" Yasuke asked. "What are you two trying to achieve?"

"Everyone, you have to listen to us," Makoto begged. "Sayaka and I are not the culprits!"

* * *

**Rebuttal Showdown 1**

**Yasuke v.s. Makoto**

**START**

Makoto: Why aren't you guys listening to me? I'm not the culprit, and neither is Sayaka. I'm saying the truth right now. If you guys refuse to listen me, how are we supposed to find the true culprit?

**ADVANCE**

Yasuke: Hey, you need to stop trying to defend yourself, Makoto. There is evidence that it could be you or Sayaka.

Makoto: Look, you can't just throw around accusations freely. There must be a good reason behind it! But accusing me and Sayaka...that's just wrong. Sayaka and I aren't the culprits! **I did nothing wrong!** And I trust that Sayaka has done the same thing. Now can we please move on to something else?

_This Makoto just won't stop defending himself. Everyone's becoming more suspicious of him. I know that there's something wrong in his argument. I just have to bring that up.  
_

Truth Blade Used: **Celeste's Account**

Weak Point Cut: **"I did nothing wrong"**

I'll cut down your words!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Hold it, Makoto," Yasuke said. "Don't think you've lifted suspicion off yourself just yet!"

"What are you talking about?" Makoto asked. "Are you still accusing me of being the killer?"

"Listen Makoto," Celeste said. "I saw you took that gold sword, and you know it. That sword is one of the murder weapons, and since you took it, you must've taken part in killing Hiro."

"What?!" Makoto gasped.

"H-Hold on," Sayaka said. "Slow down for a moment. Are you sure Makoto killed Hiro just because he took one of the murder weapons?"

"Don't think that you're clean just yet, Sayaka," Celeste said. "You're guilty of taking one of the murder weapons as well."

"Huh?" Sayaka gasped. "What are you saying?"

Yasuke began to think about what Sayaka could've done that would make her a suspect. He looked back at all the evidence gathered and found an answer.

"Hey, Sayaka?" Yasuke asked. "Could you tell us what you did last night?"

"What did I do last night...?" Sayaka asked back.

"Oh, I remember that," Hina said. "I remember seeing you in the dining hall last night."

"You did what, Sayaka?!" Makoto gasped in shock.

Sayaka began to tear up. "I'm...sorry, Makoto..." she said.

"Didn't I tell you this?" Makoto said. "You promised me to never leave your room and to never answer the door. Remember that?"

"Well, I remembered that," Sayaka said. "But you did say to not leave my room after the nighttime announcement..."

Makoto couldn't help but facepalm himself. He shook his head in disapproval. "Sayaka...you do realize that you're going to get yourself killed if you dare leave your room," he said. "Why did you leave your room?"

"Because..." Sayaka began to reply as her body began to shake. "Because...!"

"Because what?" Makoto asked, demanding an answer.

"Because she wanted to take a knife," Kyoko answered.

Makoto was left shocked to hear this. He looked at Sayaka wondering what she's thinking. "W-Why, Sayaka?" he asked. "Why do you want to take a knife? I thought I promised that I will defend you. I promise to use that gold sword and fight back against anyone who attacks us. I'm supposed to be the one who will fight for you. So why...why did you take that knife?"

Sayaka opened her mouth to say something, but was too nervous to speak a single word.

Makoto pounded his podium in frustration. "Sayaka..." he said.

The trial room was eerily quiet for a few moments as everyone watched Makoto and Sayaka begin to lose it.

"So, that's it, right?" Natsumi asked. "Makoto and Sayaka killed Hiro. Good. Now, can we vote them out now?"

"No, we can't do that," Kyoko replied.

"Huh? Why?" Natsumi asked. "They confessed to commuting the murder, right?"

"...They didn't confess," Byakuya said. "Makoto is only having an argument with Sayaka over her actions. It's not a confession."

"It's not just that," Yasuke added. "It's too early to determine the killer. We don't have definitive proof that Makoto or Sayaka is the culprit. We still need more evidence."

Kyoko thought about something for a moment and got an idea. She turned towards the devastated Makoto and Sayaka. "Makoto, Sayaka," she called to grab their attention. "Tell me. What were you two doing last night, the night of the murder?"

Makoto looked up from the floor. "...Huh?" he said with some hesitation. "...What did I do last night?"

Kyoko nodded. "Just tell us your account of last night's events," she said. "We never got the change to get evidence out of you. Perhaps your account will change the course of this trial."

Makoto hesitated again for a moment before speaking. "Alright," he said. "I'll tell all of you guys how my account of last night's events played out. But promise me...you'll listen to me all the way through. Just...believe in me."

"Sure..." Mondo said. "I'll listen to you."

"No worries, Makoto!" Kiyotaka said. "We're all listening to you! Promise!"

Makoto watched as everyone drew their attention towards him. With the encouragement of others, Makoto agreed to reveal his account of last night's events. "Okay," he said. "I'll say it now."

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 3**

**START**

Makoto: I was in my room last night. I'm not sure what the time was. It's probably late at night. I was trying to fall asleep when I heard a huge bang at my door.

Kiyotaka: How rude! Whoever's outside your door should've just used ignored you instead!

Makoto: I was worried that there's someone out there to kill me. I need to take action to save my life. I grabbed the **gold sword in my room** and approached my door.

Natsumi: Are you planning to murder someone?! Did that **stupid fortune teller** just knocked on your door?

Makoto: I opened my door, expecting someone to attack me. But instead of that, I saw Sayaka's body slump off the door.

Sayaka: *whimpers*

Makoto: I was so freaked out by this sight. So much so, that **I blacked out**.

Mondo: That's it? That's all?

Makoto: Yeah...

_So it doesn't appear that Makoto is the culprit based on his account. That seems about right. But even if he's innocent, if he opened his door soon after Sayaka was attacked, then... Well, it's not hard to imagine what will happen next._

Truth Bullet Used: **Makoto and Sayaka's Head Injuries**

Weak Point Lock: **"I blacked out"**

Hold it!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Hold it, Makoto," Yasuke said. "There's something off about your account."

"Huh?" Makoto said. "What's off about my account? Are you saying that my account is false?"

"Don't accuse him. Don't accuse him. Don't accuse him!" Sayaka said rapidly.

"No, Makoto," Yasuke said. "I'm sure most of the details of your account is true. However, there is one thing that I must point out one detail that you got off."

"What are you saying?" Makoto asked. "What detail that I got wrong?"

"You're not getting it, Makoto," Byakuya said. "The doctor is merely asking you a question. I am disgusted by how that flew over your head."

"Huh?" Makoto said, looking increasingly confused.

"I'm asking you, Makoto," Yasuke said. "All you have to do is give me an answer. My question is, how did you black out?"

"How did I black out?" Makoto repeated. "Didn't you hear my account? I said that I was so freaked out after seeing Sayaka's body that I blacked out. Do I have to repeat that again?"

Sayaka whimpered again after hearing that.

"No, you don't have to repeat that, Makoto," Kyoko replied. "However, I have one additional question. Are you sure that the sight of Sayaka's unconscious body was the one that got you blacked out?"

"Of course it is..." Makoto replied.

"You may think that it was seeing Sayaka's body that made you black out," Yasuke said. "However, have you considered this? Since Sayaka was knocked unconscious, wouldn't that suggest that she was attacked by someone?"

Sayaka gasped upon hearing that she was attacked. "What?" she said. "I was attacked?"

Makoto was speechless for a moment. "Uh...what do you mean?" he asked.

"Sayaka, what were you doing last night?" Kyoko asked. "Tell us now."

Sayaka hesitated for a moment. "Um...I didn't do much last night," she said. "I just stood in front of Makoto's door. I knew that he probably won't answer since...you know...he's a bit distrustful. I...hesitated in my decision to go forward. I'm not how how well this will end for me. Before I could make a decision, I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I found myself in Makoto's room...sleeping next to him."

"Aw man, do yo really have to bring that up?" Leon asked. "Seriously, Makoto. I'm jealous of you."

Makoto just stared at Leon wondering why he just spoke.

"Shut your mouth up," Byakuya said to Leon. "If you don't have anything useful to say, then keep your mouth shut. You're only just wasting our time."

"Hey, come on-" Leon tried to reply, only to be interrupted.

"So it appears that you blacked out as well, Sayaka," Yasuke said. "That seems to match up with Makoto's account of last night. However, have you considered why you blacked out? Was it because someone knocked you out?"

"Huh?!" Sayaka gasped. "I was really knocked out? Someone really did attack me and knock me out?!"

"So that explains that banging sound at my door," Makoto said in realization. "I was wondering what made that sound."

"Makoto, how long did it take for you to answer the door after you've heard that sound?" Kyoko asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Makoto asked. The only response he got from Kyoko was a stare. He then let out a sigh. "Fine, it took me about a minute to answer the door."

"A-A minute?" Hina gasped.

"That's a slow response time," Mondo remarked.

"Even so, that's so soon after Sayaka was attacked," Sakura said. "If Makoto really did answer the door after Sayaka was attacked, wouldn't he be attacked as well by the same attacker?"

Makoto gasped upon hearing that suggestion.

"Of course," Natsumi realized. "If Sayaka's attacker didn't get a chance to escape, then that means you'll be targeted by them as well, Makoto!"

Makoto was stunned for a moment. "But...why though?" he asked. "Why would my attacker just knock me and Sayaka out, instead of just killing us both?"

"Eh?" Hina said. "What are you saying?"

"He's saying that he and Sayaka should've been killed," Byakuya explained. "The one who attacked them both should've just killed them. Instead, they simply knock them unconscious."

"But why would they do this?" Makoto asked.

"Oh dear..." Hifumi groaned. "Looks like another debate is starting..."

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 4**

**START**

Makoto: Why would my attacker just leave me and Sayaka alive?

Sayaka: Why am I still alive...?

Kiyotaka: Good question, Makoto! I always wondered why you and Sayaka were left alive. Anyone got any ideas?

Mondo: Perhaps they wanted to **trick us.**

Natsumi: Maybe they just want to **save them for later**.

Toko: Or maybe they wanted to **kill them later**...

Celeste: Or perhaps there's **something they wanted from them**.

Leon: Who are we kidding? They probably **have no reason**.

Kiyotaka: Ugh, none of your ideas make any sense! Can anyone come up with a better idea?

_Why would Makoto and Sayaka's attacker want to leave them alive? It seems unreasonable... Unless...they wanted them out of the way. That's it! It's probably what that person suggested! I'm not the type of person who would agree to others, but I don't have a choice. I must agree with them!_

Truth Bullet Use: **Replica Sword**

Weak Point Agree: **"something they wanted from them"**

I agree with that!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Celeste, I got it," Yasuke said. "I've figured out why the attacker wanted to leave Makoto and Sayaka alive!"

"Oh?" Celeste said, raising an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Their attacker isn't planning to kill them both," Yasuke said. "They are planning to take something from both Makoto and Sayaka!"

"Huh?" Makoto gasped.

"W-What are they planning to take from me?" Sayaka asked as she almost teared up. "What are they planning to take from Makoto?"

"In order to get what they wanted from you two, get you two out of their way," Yasuke said. "Makoto, whoever attacked you wanted the gold sword you took from the display case!"

"What?!" Makoto gasped. "My gold sword?"

"And as for you Sayaka, whoever attacked you wanted the kitchen knife you took from the kitchen!" Yasuke shouted.

Sayaka gasped in shock upon hearing that.

"What?! Sayaka?" Hina gasped. "You are the one who took the kitchen knife? Or wait, have we already figured that one out? I forget..."

"Whoever attacked both Makoto and Sayaka likely knew that they both have weapons," Kyoko said. "They wanted to take those weapons from you two to use them in their own murder plan. They used your weapons to kill Hiro!"

Makoto and Sayaka are silenced by this discovery.

"So wait, the one who attacked them both is the one who killed Hiro?" Kiyotaka asked.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Leon said. "How did we get from accusing both Makoto and Sayaka of being the killer to accusing their attacker of being the killer? How...how did this happen?"

"That concludes it," Kyoko said. "Makoto, Sayaka, you two are both innocent. But don't think you're out of the clear just yet. The identity of the killer remains unknown."

Makoto and Sayaka are too stunned to say another word. It'll probably be a while before they spoke again.

"So...now what do we do?" Mondo asked. "We've wasted all our time just to come to a pointless conclusion. Where do we go from here?"

"It's not pointless," Yasuke said. "We did uncover valuable information about the case. We might be able to put that into good use. For now, let's shift our attention away from Makoto and Sayaka. Instead, let's ask the bigger question: who attacked Makoto and Sayaka and moved on to kill Hiro?"

"How about we take a step back and think about what the victim was doing before their unfortunate demise?" Celeste suggested. "Perhaps we can find a clue if we do that."

Kiyotaka thought about the idea for a moment. "Hmm...that seems like a good idea," he said. "Alright everyone! Let's discuss Hiro's actions before he was murdered!"

"Wait, stop right there," Yasuke said. "We don't have to-"

"Quiet, doctor!" Kiyotaka said. "It is important that talk about everything that could be relevant to this case!"

Yasuke growled at Kiyotaka for starting what appears to be a pointless debate.

"Now, shall we begin?" Kiyotaka asked.

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 5**

**START**

Kiyotaka: So everyone, let's remind ourselves. What was Hiro doing before he was murdered?

Natsumi: Duh! That stupid fortune teller was **looking for his crystal ball.**

Kiyotaka: That seems about right. Now, where did we find his crystal ball?

Kyoko: In the **laundry room**...

Leon: Wait, what is a crystal ball doing in a laundry room? It has **no business being in there**!

Kiyotaka: Quiet, Leon! Do you even remember what Hiro was doing?

Leon: Shut up! I don't care about Hiro!

_Ugh, this debate. What's the point of talking about this? Oh well, I'd better find a weak point and break it. There better be one somewhere..._

Truth Bullet Used: **Cleanup Duties**

Weak Point Refute: **"no business being in there"**

That's wrong!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Actually, Leon, there is a reason why the crystal ball was in the laundry room," Yasuke said. "Hiro was in charge of doing laundry!"

"What?" Leon gasped.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Leon?" Kiyotaka asked. "I assigned three people with cleanup duties. Hiro got laundry, Hifumi got trash, and Natsumi became the janitor."

"...Don't remind me of that," Natsumi said.

"If Hiro was in charge of laundry, then it makes sense why there would be a crystal ball found there," Kyoko explained. "Hiro probably took his crystal ball wherever he goes, including the laundry room. He probably left his crystal ball in the laundry room by accident and forgot about it until he realized it."

"What kind of idiot would forget the thing that he always has on him?" Leon asked.

"That fortune telling idiot probably took that crystal ball out for some reason," Natsumi replied. "Who knows why he would do that. I always knew that he was stupid."

"I'm not entirely sure what Hiro was thinking when he took out his crystal ball," Yasuke said. "But whatever he did with it, he accidentally left his crystal ball in the laundry room."

"That still leaves us with one question," Kiyotaka said. "Did Sayaka really find the crystal ball?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyoko. "No, Sayaka did not find the crystal ball. It was left in the laundry room and it was found in the laundry room. There are no signs that it was moved to Sayaka's room...or anyone's room."

"Is that really true?" Celeste asked. "As Byakuya said earlier, the events of last night is up for interpretation. Sayaka could have found the crystal ball and brought it with her to her room. Then, whoever attacked her could've found the crystal ball as use it to bait Hiro. Once Hiro fell for the bait, they killed him and returned the crystal ball back to the laundry room."

"Are you sure that this is the correct order of events?" Yasuke asked. "I'm not sure what you're saying is making sense."

"Then again, my guess of last night's events are just that: a guess," Celeste said.

"There's only one way to know for sure," Kyoko said. "And that's to ask Sayaka herself if she did find the crystal ball."

"Good idea!" Kiyotaka replied. He then turned to Sayaka. "Hey Sayaka, did you ever find that crystal ball? You know, the one that Hiro is looking for before his death."

Sayaka looked back at Kiyotaka, but said nothing.

"...I'll take that as a no," Kyoko said.

"But, Sayaka must've found the crystal ball at some point," Kiyotaka said. "If she didn't, she wouldn't have wrote that letter to Hiro telling him to come to her room to pick up his crystal ball. Since she did wrote that letter to Hiro, that means that she has found the crystal ball! Isn't that right?"

Most of the students think about that possibility for a moment. It's hard to believe what Kiyotaka said was true. The only way know for sure is to ask Sayaka again, and since she along with Makoto have become silent, getting information out of them could be an issue.

Kyoko stopped thinking about the possibility and moved on to more important things. "Let's set aside the possibility that Sayaka found the crystal ball for a moment," she said. "Let's instead focus on the culprit of this case. Who could've done this? Who could've attacked both Makoto and Sayaka, took both of their weapons, then moved on into killing Hiro?"

Everyone except for Makoto and Sayaka paused to think about it for a moment. It wasn't long before someone got an answer.

"There is one suspect that I would like to talk about," Hifumi said, drawing everyone's attention towards him. "There's this one person who suspiciously asked if I could give them access to the trash room. I have no idea why they want the trash room or how they managed to get so much trash, but I have a feeling that they're the ones who killed Hiro."

Leon started sweating nervously. "Oh no, you're not bringing that up," he said. Kyoko took note of this immediately, followed up by Hifumi.

"What's this?" Hifumi asked. "You're sweating? I've seen and read enough anime and manga to know that you're the one who did it. It's you! It must be you!"

Makoto looked up from the podium, surprised to see who was being accused of being the killer. "...Huh?" he said.

Sayaka lifted her face up and stared at Leon. "...Leon?" she said.

"Hey, you can't just accuse me out of nowhere!" Leon shouted. "I mean, what kind of accusation is that?"

"It seems like a reasonable accusation," Kyoko said. "After all, it does seem suspicious of you to request access to the trash room."

"H-Hey, you guys need to trust me on this one," Leon said as he continued to sweat. "I-I didn't do it! I didn't kill Hiro! Honest!"

"Why don't you stop defending yourself and just admit it already?" Byakuya asked in frustration.

 _Now, why would Leon be a suspicious person?_ Yasuke thought to himself. _There's got to be a good reason why people would become suspicious of Leon. He did use the trash room, but for what? Think...think... There has to be a reason behind his actions._

* * *

**Logic Flight**

**START**

**Question 1:** What is the main concern about the trash room?

A. Valuables could be lost  
B. Evidence could be lost

 **Question 2:** What did Leon dispose in the trash room?

A. His piercings  
B. His clothes  
C. His bed sheets

 **Question 3:** Why would Leon dispose this item?

A. They had cuts on them  
B. They have blood on them  
C. Both cuts and blood  
D. Nothing

It's all connecting!

**BREAK**

* * *

"I got it, Leon," Yasuke said. "I know why you wanted to use the trash room."

Leon looked at Yasuke with a baffled look on his face. "Wha-?" he briefly said. "What are you saying? I'm telling you, I just needed to use the trash room for...reasons!"

"For reasons, you say?" Yasuke asked. "And that reason is...to dispose of your clothes!"

Leon is shocked to see that he was discovered.

"What the heck?" Hina gasped. "What did you just say? Leon went to the trash room to dispose of his clothes? But he looks like he hasn't disposed of his clothes at all! There's no way that he disposed his own clothes!"

"That's because all of you are provided with copies of your clothes," Monokuma explained. "These sets of clothes will ensure that, no matter what you do, you will be wearing the same set of clothes every time. Well, that's not exactly true. The sets of clothes are identical, but they are still different sets of clothes."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Kiyotaka said. "I have 8 sets of identical clothes, all for me to wear!"

"Yeah, me too!" Mondo said.

"Me three!" Hifumi added.

"Me four!" Junko said.

"Oh, I see," Hina realized. "I was wondering why I have several sets of identical clothes."

"Since everyone is provided with the same set of clothes," Kyoko said, "it's reasonable to say that we're willing to sacrifice one of them if it means reaching our goal."

Leon is really showing signs of sweating. "N-No!" he said. "You can't just do that! You can't just accuse me and expect to get it right!"

"That's not all," Yasuke said. "There's a reason why you wanted to dispose one of your sets of clothes. That reason is to hide evidence that you were involved in the fight that lead to Hiro's death!"

Leon was stunned into near silence. He let out a huge gasp as he realized that he's going to be found out.

"Hiro didn't die without putting up a fight against his killer," Kyoko said. "Knowing this, it is reasonable for you, Leon, to have taken some damage in the fight. Your clothes would've been cut by the weapon Hiro used, possibly drawing some blood."

"Hey, I wasn't injured that much!" Leon said. "I didn't get cut at all! That knife just grazed past me!"

Sayaka gasped when Leon mentioned it. "...Knife?" she said.

"Huh?" Leon gasped.

"N-No way..." Mondo said.

"Uh oh," Celeste said. "You said way too much, Leon."

"Hey, just go easy on me, okay?" Leon begged. "I-I'm not used to this. Just give me some leeway and I'll-"

"So...that means that you're the one who used my sword," Makoto concluded in a deeper tone.

Leon dropped his jaw and let out another huge gasp.

"Uh, what just happened?" Natsumi asked.

Kyoko covered her mouth in surprise. "Makoto..." she said. "Did...did you just figure this out?"

Makoto thought about it for a little more as he stared at Leon. "And since you're the one that won the battle," he said, "that means...you're the one who murdered Hiro."

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 6  
**

**START**

Leon: Hey! Stop accusing me of being the killer! C-Cause...there's no way that **I did it**...right?

Celeste: You could've avoided this if you had kept your mouth shut.

Makoto: I still have one question to ask you, Leon. Why did you kill Hiro?

Leon: Come on, don't be like that.

Byakuya: Stop. Wasting. Our. Time.

Leon: Okay, okay. Sayaka...I just...I just wanted to protect you. I thought **you had died from that knife**.

Sayaka: Protect...me? No...that's not right... Makoto was supposed to be protecting me!

Makoto: You wanted to protect Sayaka? No...just...stop it. She's not your business anymore.

_So it turns out that Leon wanted to save Sayaka. That brave boy, thinking that he can get a girl by saving her. However, there's no doubt that Sayaka didn't die from that!_

Truth Bullet Used: **Makoto and Sayaka's Head Injury**

Weak Point Refute: **"you had died from that knife"**

That's wrong!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Sayaka wasn't killed by the knife, Leon," Yasuke said. "Remember, she was likely unconscious when the murder happened. The only injuries she got were the two blows to her head."

"Wait...did you...?" Sayaka asked, worried about the implications. She was too embarrassed to continue.

"Yea, Sayaka," Yasuke said. "I checked your body. You had no other injuries."

Sayaka wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"W-What the hell?" Leon said. "Doctor, you can't do that! That's perverted!"

"Since when are doctors considered perverts?" Hifumi asked. "I know it's embarrassing to have your entire body checked by them, but they have a good reason to do it!"

"I didn't check your body, Sayaka," Yasuke added. "I also checked Makoto as well. He doesn't have any injuries other than the one at his head."

Makoto wasn't sure how to respond to that either.

"But...where did that blood on that knife come from?" Hina asked. "It has to come from somewhere, don't you think?"

"What about Hiro?" Mondo suggested. "He was dead. Couldn't the blood have come from him?"

"Hiro was killed by the replica sword," Kyoko said. "The sword, being a replica made for decorative purposes, wasn't sharp enough to cut into the skin. The best that sword could do was leave bruises where it struck the body. That means that Hiro never bled any blood, which also means his body couldn't have been the source of the blood on the knife."

"Death by being beaten to death with a replica sword," Celeste remarked. "I can't imagine a more horrible way to go..."

"Maybe that blood is just some paint," Hina suggested.

"No, that's actual blood on that knife," Kyoko corrected. "Trust me. I checked.

"C-Could have it c-come from Leon?" Toko suggested.

"Didn't you listen to Leon?" Sakura asked. "He said that he didn't get hurt at all by the knife. The knife just grazed past him and just cut his clothes."

"So if the blood didn't come from any bodies, where did it come from?" Natsumi asked.

Yasuke thought about it for a moment and came to an answer. "As a doctor, I know one place where that blood could've come from," he said. "And that place is-"

"Stupid doctor!"

"You're stupid, doctor," Leon growled. "So stupid! So freaking stupid!"

Yasuke stared at Leon. "...What did you just call me?" he asked.

"Did...did Leon just call you stupid, Yasuke?" Junko asked in surprise.

"Stupid," Yasuke said. "So, you did call me stupid. Very well." Yasuke paused for a moment to take in a deep breath before raising his voice. "How dare you call a doctor stupid! How dare you insult science itself! I'm not stupid! Do you even know who I am? I'm the Ultimate Neurologist! I have a degree in neurology! The only doctors you should shame are the ones who get their facts blatantly wrong! If there's anyone that's stupid, it's you, Leon."

"Shut up!" Leon shouted. "Shut up stupid, shut up stupid, shut up stupid! Stupid! You're getting it all wrong! That blood on the knife came from Sayaka. I know it! It's the only way!"

* * *

**Rebuttal Showdown 2**

**Yasuke v.s. Leon**

**START**

Leon: Why won't you listen to me? That blood came from Sayaka! There's no way around it! Hiro must've been the one who stabbed Sayaka. He killed Sayaka with the knife she took! I just couldn't accept that at all. So that's why I had to attack Hiro!

**ADVANCE**

Yasuke: Whoa, slow down there, Leon. Are you really sure that Hiro really stabbed Sayaka? Also, bodies aren't the only source of blood. There is another place where you can get blood!

Leon: Would you shut you stupid mouth already?! How many times to I have to say this?! The blood on the knife came from Sayaka when she was stabbed. There is **no other possibility.** If you refuse to accept that, then you're stupid! So stupid!

_Leon is revealing a lot of information. That does it. He's the killer of this case. But...before we could get to that, I need to strike down a weak point in his argument._

Truth Blade Used: **Blood Pack**

Weak Point Cut: **"no other possibility"**

I'll cut down your words!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Hold it, Leon," Yasuke said. "Before you accuse me of being stupid, I must remind you this!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Leon repeatedly said.

"I-It's no use..." Junko said. "He's refusing to listen."

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Leon said again.

Yasuke let out a heavy groan. "Fine, I'll say it," he said. "Bodies aren't the only source of blood. The blood packs in the infirmary are also a source of blood!"

"Stupid, stupid...stupid..." Leon said, slowing himself down as the truth dawned on him.

"One of the blood packs has a thin cut on it," Yasuke said. "It annoyed me to no end to see a blood pack become ruined. However, there's no doubt about it. That blood pack is the source of the blood found on the knife!"

"Stupid...stupid...stupid...?" Leon said.

"...Leon," Makoto said. "You didn't visit the infirmary, did you?"

Leon stuttered for a moment before speaking again. "N-No," he said. "No, I didn't. I didn't visit the infirmary, I swear!"

"...Are you the one who knocked me and Makoto out?" Sayaka asked.

"N-No," Leon said again. "Why would I do that? I mean, I could knock Makoto out if I wanted to, but you, Sayaka? Hell no. No way I would do that!"

Kyoko began thinking. "So, Leon," she began. "If you're not the one who visited the infirmary, and you're not the one who knocked both Makoto and Sayaka out, that could only mean one thing."

The trial room fell into silence as everyone tried to figure out the truth behind the case.

"...It's a trap," Makoto concluded. "Someone else set this up, just to make Leon the culprit."

Leon gasped in shock. "Wait, so that means I was tricked?!" he shouted. "Someone tricked me into being the culprit! That's...no way that could be the case!"

"So, that's it," Yasuke said. "That explains it. Makoto and Sayaka being knocked out. Their weapons being stolen. The note Hiro had on him. It's all a trap. It's a trap designed to make Leon the killer."

"But who would so such a thing?" Kiyotaka asked. "What monster would come up with such a plan?"

Leon immediately pointed fingers at Sayaka. "It must be you, Sayaka," he said. "It was you who tricked me into killing Hiro!"

Sayaka was shaken by the accusation. "H-Huh?" she gasped. "Why me?"

"Oh no," Makoto said. "Not this again!"

"Sayaka, I can't believe you would do this to me," Leon said. "I thought that you were the perfect girl for me. I tried my best to get you, but then you paid all your attention to that stupid Makoto. And then, just when I was about to save you, you tricked me into becoming a murderer. You wrote that letter to me. I thought that you wanted to see me for once. I was so excited at first. But know that it comes to this, I've learned the truth about you, Sayaka. You're not a perfect girl. You're a monster disguising as a girl."

Sayaka was reduced to nothing more than a whimpering mess. Her body shook so much that it looked like she was freezing up.

"T-There no way that what you're saying is true, Leon," Makoto said. "Sayaka is not a monster! She's human, just like the rest of us!"

"Oh yeah?" Leon shouted. "You're only lucky that Sayaka didn't do horrible things to you, Lucky Bastard!"

"Lucky...what?" Makoto reacted as his eyes widen from shock.

* * *

**Nonstop Debate 7**

**START**

Leon: I'm telling you, Lucky Bastard! Sayaka wrote a letter to me and **tricked me** into becoming a killer!

Makoto: T-That's not true. There's **no way that Sayaka would do that**!

Leon: You're not getting it, Lucky Bastard. Sayaka wrote that letter with **her own handwriting**!

Makoto: STOP! Stop calling me that! I'm **nothing like what you said** to me!

Sayaka: ...

Kiyotaka: Hey! Stop this instance right now, Leon! I won't tolerate any kind of bullying!

Leon: Shut up, stupid. Your family is a **disgrace to society**!

Kiyotaka: ...!

_...It seems reasonable to assume that Sayaka wrote these letters, both to Hiro and to Leon. However...based on that one person's account, it's unlikely that would be the case._

Truth Bullet Used: **Hina's Account**

Weak Point Refute: **"her own handwriting"**

That's wrong!

**BREAK**

* * *

"Wait a minute, Leon," Yasuke said. "I don't think Sayaka actually wrote that letter to you."

"Oh yeah?!" Leon shouted. "Why won't you believe that Sayaka wrote that letter? She clearly wrote it. It says so on the bottom!"

"Yeah, the letter does say that it was written by Sayaka," Yasuke said. "However, have you ever thought to yourself? Doesn't that handwriting seem a bit too...clean?"

"Huh?" Leon said. "Why would you say that?"

"I have definitive proof that it wasn't Sayaka that tricked you into becoming a killer," Yasuke said. "Whoever tricked you into becoming the killer is the mastermind behind this insane plan. They knocked Makoto and Sayaka out. They stole their weapons. They tricked you into thinking that Sayaka was killed. They tricked you into killing Hiro. The letter is the proof that Sayaka isn't the mastermind of this plan. It all has to do with the handwriting."

"Handwriting?" Leon asked, baffled by the conclusion. "What does handwriting prove? There's no way that handwriting can prove anything, right?"

Yasuke turned to Hina. "Hina, mind if you remind us of how Sayaka was acting last night?" he asked. "When she entered the dining room and kitchen to grab the knife?"

"Huh?" Hina said. She then recalled what she saw last night in the dining room. "Um, when Sakura and I saw Sayaka last night, she was acting a little...strange. Her hair was all messed up. Her face looked a bit...off. And her arm...her arm was-"

"Shut up!" Leon shouted. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Hey!" Hina said. "Rude! I was trying to say something!"

"Well, whatever you say, it's not going to change anything," Leon said with a growl in his voice. "Sayaka is the one who tricked me into killing HIro. She faked her own death just to make me worried about her."

Sayaka whimpered again after being accused of tricking Leon...again. Makoto didn't say anything, unable to find the courage to defend Sayaka.

"Leon, stop what you're doing," Kyoko said. "You're not going to save yourself."

"Leon, what I'm about to tell you is important," Yasuke said. "It's proof that Sayaka wasn't the one who tricked you into becoming the killer."

"I don't care how much you try to convince me," Leon said. "I'm not changing my mind. There's no other way to see it. The letter, the setup, it's all Sayaka. She's the one who did all that!"

Yasuke has no idea why Leon is trying to defend his opinion. Yasuke already has proof that Sayaka didn't write those letters. But Leon if refusing to listen. He is refusing to listen to the truth. Yasuke doesn't want to do this considering his profession of being a doctor, but he must do this. He must break down Leon and present him the final proof.

* * *

**Argument Armament**

**V.S. Leon Kuwata**

**START**

"No! No way!"

"You're not changing my mind!"

"I refuse to listen to you!"

"I'm not gonna be convinced by your lies!"

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"Sayaka is the one who tricked me!"

"There's no one else who could've done it."

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Stupid! You're so stupid!"

"Shut your goddamn mouth right now!"

"You have no right to talk to me!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

**Moment of Truth**

"Sayaka wrote that letter to me!"

SHAKY HANDS

I'll end this!

"GAAAHHHHH!"

**BREAK**

* * *

"Leon, you need to take a look at Sayaka," Yasuke said. "Take a good long look at her. Did you notice anything?"

"Who cares about her?" Leon asked. "I no longer care about her. She tricked me into becoming a killer!"

"Leon, take a look at this," Kyoko said.

"Huh?" Leon said. "What are you talking about?"

Everyone except for Leon and Makoto turn their heads to Sayaka. They noticed that she is shaking. Violently. It took a moment for Leon to realize that everyone's keeping their eyes on Sayaka.

"Did you see Sayaka?" Yasuke asked Leon. "Did you notice anything about her? Was it...the shaking?"

"Um...yeah?" Leon said. "So what? Why do you care so much that Sayaka is shaking? Is that really important to you?"

"It is important!" Yasuke said. "It's proof that Sayaka didn't write that letter to you. She didn't write that letter to Hiro as well. It's definitive proof that she's not the one who set all of this up, just to make you the killer."

Leon let out a pained grunt.

"That's what I'm trying to say," Hina said. "When I saw Sayaka last night, I noticed that she was shaking. Everything about her is shaking, especially her arms."

"Right," Yasuke said. "And what can't you do with shaky arms and hands?"

"What?" Leon asked.

Yasuke facepalmed himself. "This is proof that the real stupid one is you, Leon," he said. Then he removed his hand from his face. "I'll give you the answer: have legible handwriting!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Leon shouted.

"...You have to forgive Sayaka," Makoto said to everyone. "She shakes a lot when she gets scared."

"Oh, that reminds me," Hina said. "Hey Sayaka, how was last night? Did you do well...other than being knocked unconscious, of course."

Sayaka found it difficult to say anything. Makoto gave her a little nudge.

"...Just say something, Sayaka," Makoto said. "Don't worry. Everyone will listen to you."

Sayaka hesitated to speak for several moments. It took her a while to finally spoke. "...I...I was so scared last night," she said. "I'm...terrified...of being killed. I'm...scared of losing Makoto. I...I..." She couldn't continue. She broke down into tears.

"That does it," Yasuke concluded. "If Sayaka was that scared last night, then there's no way she could write anything legible even if she tried. There's no way she could've written that letter to Leon and Hiro. Therefore, she wasn't the mastermind behind this plan."

Leon was left stunned into silence. He couldn't find anything to say to counter Yasuke.

It appears that the trial is coming to a conclusion. Leon is the one who killed Hiro and Sayaka isn't the mastermind behind the plan. However, even when the killer is figured out, one question remains.

"So, who is the mastermind behind this plan?" Junko asked.

Before anyone could make their guess, Monokuma spoke up.

"Hey, what are you kids doing beating around the bush?" Monokuma asked. "You've already got the killer figured out. There's no need to continue this trial any further. I hereby declare that it's now Voting Time!"

"It looks like we've run out of time to discuss this," Yasuke said. "Voting Time will be coming up soon. But before we do that, let's break down the truth of this case. It's time to reveal everything that happened in this case."

* * *

**Closing Argument**

The case began last morning. Monokuma had announced that he gave two students a special motive, and if any one of us could kill those two people with the special motive, he would set them free without the need for a trial. Those two people were Makoto and Sayaka. Both of them are scared by the fact that they were targeted for murder. They feared that either of them could die at any moment, or both of them could die. They felt that they needed to take action to protect themselves. They ran away from the gym to discuss plans on how to defend themselves. Kyoko had noticed that Makoto and Sayaka left, and determined that they are the ones with the special motive. However, she's not alone. Another student also noticed that these two left, and came to the same conclusion. That student must've been the mastermind of this plan. And so, they began their insane plan, not to kill Makoto and Sayaka, but to frame them both as the killer.

Outside the gym, Makoto and Sayaka got together and made plans to try to defend themselves. Makoto decided to take a weapon to defend both himself and Sayaka. He went to the trophy display case to grab a weapon that he found: the gold replica sword. He felt uncomfortable about using it as a weapon, but he felt that he must take any action to defend himself. And so, he took the sword and brought it to his room. On the way to his room, he had an encounter with Celeste. They shared a small chat for a moment before Makoto moved on to his room. Later on, Sayaka entered the kitchen to grab a knife. It is likely because she felt that she needed a weapon to defend herself. She grabbed the kitchen knife and went to her room before anyone could notice her. Unfortunately for Sayaka, it appears that the mastermind knew that she has taken a knife, and adjusted their plans accordingly.

Soon, nighttime comes and everyone falls asleep. Well, all except for three: Makoto, Sayaka, and the mastermind of this plan. During the night of the murder, Sayaka exited her room and walked up to Makoto's room. She stood in front of the door, thinking about calling Makoto over. Who knows why she wanted to visit Makoto, but that doesn't matter. Before Sayaka could ring the doorbell, the mastermind sneaked up behind her and knocked her on her head. This sent her body flying forward, slamming her body against the door. This created a loud sound that notified Makoto. He wasn't sure what's going on outside his door, but felt like somebody's out there to kill him. He took action to defend himself. He grabbed the gold replica sword and walked up to the door, ready to attack his potential killer. He opened the door, only to find Sayaka dead. Or at least, that's what the mastermind wants him to think. While Makoto is distracted by Sayaka's seemingly dead body, the mastermind stuck Makoto in the head, knocking him out as well. With Makoto and Sayaka now unconscious, the mastermind moved on to the next step of their plan.

The mastermind took Makoto's sword and Sayaka's knife. Then, they hid both of their bodies in Makoto's room. They used Sayaka's room as the place where the murder would take place. They must've already had a killer in mind, but not a victim. To do that, they searched around the building to see what they could use as bait. Soon, they found the crystal ball in the laundry room, and determined that Hiro will be the victim of this case. After doing that, they got to work. They used the knife and made a cut into one of the blood packs, staining it with blood and making it look like someone has been stabbed by it. Then they wrote two letters pretending to be Sayaka. They then set up Sayaka's room to make it look like a murder had taken place, placing both the sword and the knife in the room. Once all that is done, the mastermind sent the letters to Hiro and the culprit and ring their doorbells. Then, they got back to their room to sleep for the night.

From that point onward, the mastermind's plan gets set into motion. Hiro entered Sayaka's room, expecting to find his crystal ball there. However, all he got was confusion. He picked up the blood-stained kitchen knife, wondering what's it going in Sayaka's room. Then the culprit showed up, and saw Hiro holding the knife. Thinking that Hiro murdered Sayaka, the culprit grabbed the gold sword and attacked Hiro. Hiro used the knife to try to save his life. He put up a good fight against the culprit, but he lost the battle and was killed, beaten to death by the gold sword. The killer then realized what they have just done, and so ran away from the room to try to save their life.

Several hours later, the killer decided that they wanted to dispose their damaged clothes. They feared that if anyone found these clothes, everyone would figured out that they're the killer. The only way to dispose their clothes is the trash room, which was only accessible to Hifumi. They asked Hifumi to give them access to the trash room. Hifumi accepted the request and granted them access to the trash. But that was the biggest mistake the killer could've made. If they didn't do that, then we would've never figured it out that it was them who killed Hiro. The mastermind's plan almost worked, but this one mistake made the entire plan fail. But despite that, one thing is clear. The person who fell into this trap...

...Is you, Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Player. You might not have intended to become a killer, but the mastermind tricked you into becoming one.

**COMPLETE**

* * *

"That's the truth of this case," Yasuke said. "Someone masterminded this plan, and it almost worked. We would've wrongly voted for Makoto or Sayaka, and the true killer would've escaped this school."

"Why would the mastermind do that?" Natsumi asked. "Wouldn't they be executed as well because we voted for the wrong person?"

"I'm not sure why they would willing to die," Kyoko said. "But one thing is clear: they don't want Makoto and Sayaka alive. They could've killed both of them directly and completely avoid the trial. This is the additional motive Monokuma gave they. They also could see their loved ones again. But instead, they chose to take this insane route. They chose to let Makoto and Sayaka die from our mistake."

Leon is starting to tear up. "W-Why?" he asked. "Why does this have to happen to me? Sayaka, we could've survived together. We could've lived for a little longer together. But instead...someone had to trick me into killing HIro. And now...I'm about to be punished for my crimes. P-Please, Sayaka! Forgive me!"

Makoto and Sayaka said nothing to Leon. They just sadly looked at him.

"So, it's been decided," Byakuya said.

"Alright, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "This Class Trial is officially over! As such, it is now Voting Time! Use your E-Handbook to vote for who you think the killer is. Whoever receives a majority will be declared the winner!"

Everyone looked down at their E-Handbooks and found that there's a screen with everyone's pixelated faces on it. It appears that this is the voting screen. Everyone tapped on the face that they think is the culprit of this case, which is Leon. After a short time has passed, Voting Time has passed and everyone looked up at the large screen behind Monokuma.

The voting results screen is a circle displaying the faces of every student in a pixelated form. All deceased students are grayed out. Votes are counted as the number of lit up bars that are above each student. The more bars that are lit up, the more votes that student got.

**Voting Results**

Leon Kuwata: 14 votes

Celestia "Celeste" Ludenberg: 1 vote

Everyone else: 0 votes

"Who will be chosen as the blackened in this case?" Monokuma asked. "Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"

**Final Verdict**

Using the same screen as the results screen, the final verdict screen is a spinner that goes around everyone. The lights go out, leaving only a single light that shines upon the same person as the one the spinner is on. As time passes, the spinner slows down, coming to a stop right on Leon. The spinner paused on Leon for a few seconds, and everyone thought that they got it right. However, at the last second, the spinner suddenly moved one space over to Celeste, pinning her as the culprit.

"Warning! Rule breaker detected! Commencing punishment!"

Everyone is left baffled by this sudden change.

* * *

**Class Trial 1**

**ALL RISE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you're surprised to see Yasuke acting as the protagonist, at least for this trial. Usually in Danganronpa, the main protagonist is the player character. We spent pretty much the entire game from their perspective. They're usually the ones who shoot down arguments and correct everyone. However, this isn't the case sometimes. Remember that one time in Danganronpa 2 when we play as Nagito instead of Hajime? Or that one time in V3 where the player character shifts multiple times? Yeah, that was a pleasant experience, wasn't it?
> 
> I had a blast writing this Class Trial. Mystery stories are in my opinion one of the most difficult genres to write. A writer must come up with an intriguing mystery that keeps the reads guessing. The process of solving the mystery has to make logical sense. A mystery has to make use of some of the things that are established earlier in the story. The mystery itself must not feel too easy for the reader to feel frustrated at the characters, nor too difficult to make the reader frustrated at themselves. The difficulty has to be just right.
> 
> This is something that the first case of the first game failed to get right: the difficulty. I know the characters are Japanese and thus aren't used to seeing foreign language, but this case is laughably easy for English speaking player. Even foreigners who have even slightly proficient in English can see the culprit coming. I say that Danganronpa and many mystery stories should avoid language based mysteries, especially ones that are different from the native language, as those as difficult to translate well into other languages and those that speak said foreign language can solve the mystery faster than the characters.
> 
> I'm not sure if I had done a great job at creating a good first case, so let me know if I created a good mystery case.
> 
> By the way, were you surprised at the twist ending?


	10. Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion (Post-Trial)

**Day 6 - 3:00 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Hiro entered Sayaka's room to retrieve his crystal ball. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. He doesn't know what it was unlocked, but didn't mind it. As long as he gets back his crystal ball, he should be fine.

Hiro looked around the room looking for his crystal ball. For some odd reason, Sayaka isn't in her room. More importantly, the crystal ball wasn't in this room either. Where could that crystal ball be? Hiro has no idea where his crystal ball is. All he knows is that there is both a knife and a sword in the room.

Hiro turned his attention to the knife. The tip of it is stained with blood. Hiro picked it up and took a look at it. He wondered why the tip of the blade is covered in blood. Was somebody stabbed in this room?

As Hiro pondered about the knife in the room, Leon suddenly entered the room.

"Hey, Sayaka," Leon greeted. "So what do you-" He stopped upon seeing Hiro. "Uh...Hiro? What are you doing here?"

Hiro turned around to face Leon. "Oh, hey Leon!" he greeted back. "What's up? What are you doing in this-"

Leon noticed the knife in Hiro's hands. He saw that there's blood on it. "What?" he gasped. "Hiro, what did you do? What happened to Sayaka?"

"Huh? What happened to Sayaka?" Hiro asked. "This is her room, right? I haven't seen her in here. I wonder where she went..."

Leon clutched his fist in anger. "You killed Sayaka, didn't you?" he said.

"Leon? What are you accusing me for?" Hiro asked.

Leon didn't answer Hiro's question. Without thinking, he rushed towards Hiro, grabbing the gold sword along the way. "This is for Sayaka, you bastard!" he roared.

Leon attacked Hiro and attempted to kill him. Hiro attempted to fight back against Leon to gave his own life. The two trashed the room, leaving cuts everywhere. Hiro did put up a good fight against Leon, but unfortunately for him fighting against an athlete is not a good idea. Leon eventually gets the advantage, knocking Hiro down on his bottom. Leon then relentlessly beat up Hiro with the gold sword, continuing it until Hiro was no longer breathing and moving.

After killing off Hiro, Leon takes a moment to breathe and think about his actions. It was at this point when he realized that he became the blackened himself.

"Oh shit..." Leon said. "I just made myself the blackened. This can't end well." He then dropped the gold sword into the floor. He then realized that his hands are covered in gold. Aw shit, my hands are all messed up! So are my clothes! Ugh...I can't let anyone figure out it was me. Otherwise, I'm screwed!"

Panicking, Leon left the room, making sure not to leave any evidence behind. He ran away to his room and waited until morning to come out.

Unbeknownst to Leon, there was someone who saw the events unfold before her eyes. Celeste hid in behind a corner, peeking her head out to watch the events play out. She saw Hiro and Leon enter Sayaka's room, with only Leon leaving. Celeste smiled to herself, knowing that her plan is working. Now, all Leon needs to do is to make sure nobody figures out that it was him. For her plan to succeed, everyone has to vote for either Makoto, Sayaka, both, or neither. If the group picks the wrong person or nobody reaches a consensuses.

Now all Celeste needs to do it to make sure her plan is working...

* * *

**Day 6 - Unknown Time  
Trial Room, Underground**

"...What just happened?" Mondo asked.

"Did we get it wrong?" Natsumi asked. "Did we vote for the wrong person?"

"Hey, don't despair too much," Monokuma said. "You all voted for the right person! The poor person who was tricked into killing Hiro was none other than Leon Kuwata! However, before I could get to the execution, I have something to say. You are in violation of the rules, Celeste!"

Celeste put up a hand over her mouth. "Huh?" she said. "What do you mean?"

"Don't deny it!" Monokuma shouted. "You know what you did. You've violated one of the rules!"

"What rules?" Celeste asked. "I didn't violate any rules."

"Yes you did!" Monokuma shouted. "You've violated the rule regarding personal belongings! You cannot steal someone else's personal belongings, nor lend your own personal belongings to someone else! In this case, you stole someone else's personal belonging!"

"What personal belonging?" Kiyotaka asked. "The only personal belonging you gave us are the E-Handbooks! Are you implying that Celeste stole someone else's E-Handbook? Did she steal Hiro's E-Handbook?"

"If that's the case, then why don't you show your E-Handbook?" Natsumi asked. "Celeste! Confirm that your E-Handbook is really yours!"

"What are you talking about?" Celeste asked. "My E-Handbook is mine. You don't have to confirm it."

"How can you say it if you don't show your E-Handbook?" Mondo asked. "Just show us your E-Handbook you little-"

"How many times do I must say it?" Celeste asked. "My E-Handbook belongs to me."

"You're lying!" Mondo roared.

"No, she's right," Byakuya said. "Stop wasting your time. I can tell from the position I'm in that Celeste's E-Handbook is hers."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Natsumi asked.

Byakuya just scoffs.

"So, what is Monokuma referring to by personal belongings?" Hina wondered. "If he isn't referring to the E-Handbooks, then what does he really mean?"

No one seems to be able to know the answer. No one, but Makoto. He has been silent for the past several minutes as he tried his best comfort Sayaka. He gave the answer he thinks is right.

"I think...Monokuma is talking about our room keys," Makoto said. "We're each giving one of them, so that makes our room keys a personal belonging."

Nearly everyone gasped at this answer.

"The room keys count as personal belongings?" Celeste gasped, feigning surprise.

"H-How have we not known this earlier?" Kiyotaka asked.

"You may not believe it at first, but it's true," Monokuma said. "Not only does your E-Handbook count as your personal belonging, your room keys also count as your personal belonging. Therefore, stealing someone else's E-Handbook or room keys is prohibited, as does lending an E-Handbook or a room key to someone else. Even if you touch someone else's personal belongings even once, you'll get punished."

"Wait, what about our stuff in our rooms?" Hina asked. "Do that count as our personal belongings?"

"Nope!" Monokuma said. "The personal belongings label only applies to your E-Handbook and room key. Everything else technically belongs to the school, which means that everyone owns it!"

"So, that's it," Kyoko said. "Celeste must've taken someone else's room key. That's what happened."

Yasuke turned around towards Monokuma. "This doesn't make any sense!" he shouted. "Monokuma, why did you wait this long to punish Celeste? If you knew that Celeste had violated a rule, you should've punished her as soon as you did. Why did you wait so long?! Why punish her now?!"

"Eh? Why did I wait so long?" Monokuma asked. "I just did it because I think it'll make for a much more interesting case."

Yasuke growled at Monokuma for letting someone get away with breaking a rule until now.

"So, who's room key did Celeste take?" Hina asked. "And why?"

Celeste remained silent for a moment as she turned her head towards Sayaka. "You didn't give me much of a choice, Sayaka," she said, causing Sayaka to gasp. "You locked the door to your room. I was planning to use your room as part of my plan. I did the only thing I could. I took your keys to unlock your door. Don't worry, I gave your keys back right after I used them."

Sayaka teared up in horror of what Celeste died. "W-Why?" she cried. "Why would you do this? C-Couldn't you have used your own room instead? Why do you have to use my room?"

"...Do I even have to say how stupid of a move that would be?" Celeste asked.

Makoto looked at Celeste. "So...you're the mastermind behind this plan," he concluded. "You're the one who knocked me and Sayaka out. You're the one who stole my sword and Sayaka's knife. You're the one who wrote those letters to Hiro and Leon. You're the one who tried to frame both me and Sayaka as the killer!"

Celeste had nothing to say to Makoto.

Kiyotaka began shedding tears of anger. "Why, Celeste?" he asked. "Why would you mastermind this plan? If you wanted Makoto and Sayaka dead, they why don't you just kill them off?"

Celeste paused for a moment as she began to explain her motive behind setting up this insane plan. "Very well," she said. "I shall explain why I decided to set up this plan."

Everyone remained silent as they listened to Celeste.

"It all began when the motive was given out," Celeste began. "I could not say to you who showed up in my motive video. But whoever what person was, they're more valuable to me than anyone else in the world. Our initial motive was simple: is we graduate from this school, we will be able to see out loved ones again and learn about their fate. It sounds simple, and it should've been simple. But then, Monokuma threw in an additional motive: if we kill the two students with the special motive, then we'll get to graduate from this school no matter what. As soon as I got that motive, I knew immediately who those two students were."

Celeste paused as she turn her attention to Makoto and Sayaka.

"I always knew that you two had the special motive, Makoto and Sayaka," Celeste continued. "It seems suspicious that you two are the only ones who didn't get their motive video, at least at the same time as the rest of us. But when Monokuma threw in the additional motive, I knew that the only ones who could've gotten the special motive are the ones who didn't get their motive video at the same time as us. It seems only natural that it would be you two who got the special motive. After all, you two are always together. You two are never seen apart."

Sayaka began to cling to Makoto and cried into his chest. Makoto tried his best to comfort Sayaka, but he made little progress.

"See? I knew that it must be you two," Celeste said. "Whenever you're scared, Sayaka, you cling on to whoever you care about the most. If Makoto wasn't here, the only person you would've hugged is yourself. But Makoto is here, and you cling to him when you're scared. I know why you cling to Makoto, Sayaka. You're scared of losing him. You're scared of seeing him die, and you're scared of seeing him fall for a different girl than you. That's the truth about you, Sayaka. And you, Makoto, are no different. You're scared of losing your precious Sayaka as well. With this level of dedication to each other, it's no wonder you two see each other as your most important person."

Sayaka cried even harder, and Makoto just gave up with comforting her.

"Hmm...I see," Kiyotaka said. "You always knew that Makoto and Sayaka are the ones with the special motive from the beginning. You have gave us a good explanation behind your thinking. However, you have not answered my original question. If you knew that Makoto and Sayaka have the special motive, and there's a benefit into killing them both, why did you let them live? Why didn't you just kill them off and graduate from this school?"

"Why did I let Makoto and Sayaka live?" Celeste asked back. "Well, it's because it's too simple of a plan. Simply killing both Makoto and Sayaka off is not enough for me. I prefer my plans to be elaborate. I'm not planning to kill them with my own hands. I'm not planning to let them die by someone else's hands. No, I'm planning to let them die from our own mistakes."

Everyone gasped at Celeste's answer.

"Y-You're going to make Makoto and Sayaka die...because we made a mistake?" Hina asked.

"Of course!" Monokuma answered. "Didn't you remember the rules of the trial? If the wrong person receives the majority of the votes, or a consensuses isn't reached, then everyone except the killer will be executed. That's the rules!"

"So, you're planning to make us make a wrong accusation," Yasuke said, growling at Celeste. "You're planning to make us accuse Makoto and Sayaka of being the killer. That's why you set the crime scene up to make it look like they worked together into killing Hiro. You're an insane woman, Celeste. You set this elaborate plan up just to get us all killed by our own mistake. Remember it's not just Makoto and Sayaka that will die: as Monokuma said, we all die if we vote for the wrong person, except for the culprit. And that includes you, Celeste. Do you realize that you're going to die from your own plan? Are you willing to accept a plan that ends in your death?"

Celeste smiled and giggled. "Yes, I know that," she said. "I know that my plan will end with me dying along with everyone else. But as long as Makoto and Sayaka die, I will not regret making that plan."

"You bitch," Mondo growled. "You're going to take two people down with you? You're going to take all of us down with you? You're going let let that happen to you?!"

"Of course," Celeste replied. "You know what they say. 'The end justifies the means'. I'm willing to sacrifice myself if it means my goals will be achieved. I don't care what I do to myself. I could tie myself up, make it look like I was tortured, set off a fire in the room I'm in, fill the only fire extinguisher with poison, then trick someone into putting out the flames with said fire extinguisher-"

"We get it!" Natsumi shouted. "You like elaborate plans! You don't need to tell us one of your elaborate plans! You're making us tired of listening to you! Ugh, that plan sounds like something a maniac will come up with..."

Celeste scoffed at Natsumi. "How rude," she said. "I was about to describe a plan that, in my opinion, is the most brilliant plan anyone could've ever come up with."

"If your plans involves your death, then you don't value your life anymore," Yasuke remarked to Celeste.

"Anyways, my brilliant plan could've worked," Celeste continued. "Everyone about my plan is going exactly how I expected things to go. If it weren't for that one fool, my plan could've succeeded. If he hadn't done that one thing, nobody would've suspected him for committing the crime." She laid her eyes on the silent Leon, and soon nearly everyone turned towards Leon.

Leon lifted his head and faced everyone. "...Huh?" he said. "What are you all looking at me for...? Did I...miss anything?"

Byakuya crossed his arms as he stared at Leon. "Celeste is the mastermind," he said.

Leon let out a gasp. "...Of this game?" he asked.

"I doubt that Celeste is the one who trapped us in here and forced us to kill each other to try to escape," Yasuke said. "No, Celeste is the mastermind of this case. She's the one who tricked you into becoming the culprit. Let me say it again. Sayaka isn't the one who set all of this up. It was Celeste who did it."

"...Celeste?" Leon said.

Celeste responded with silence.

"...Why would you do this, Celeste?" Leon asked. "Why did you do this to me?"

"...Do I have to say it again?" Celeste asked. Then she scoffed. "Fine. There's a reason why I tricked you, Leon. You are interested in Sayaka, just like how I was interested in Makoto. You wanted to be with Sayaka, just like how I wanted to be with Makoto."

Makoto briefly looked away from Sayaka. He stared at Celeste in silence for a moment before returning his attention to Sayaka.

"W-Why did you say that?" Leon asked. "Why did you trick me into killing Hiro?"

"I knew that you wanted to do anything to get Sayaka," Celeste explained to Leon. "And I mean anything. If you see her as being threatened, you might take extreme action to try to win her over. That includes taking the life of someone else. I figured that if I had tricked you into thinking that Sayaka was dead, you might try to take revenge on her killer."

Leon started to sweat. "H-Hey, at least Sayaka is still alive," he said. "You think she'll appreciate my attempt at saving her?"

Celeste paused for a moment as she tilted her head down, still looking at Leon. "You should've learned the truth by now, Leon," she said. "You have no chance of ever being with Sayaka."

"What?" Leon gasped, letting his jaw drop.

"You should take a lesson from me," Celeste said. "You should've let go of your crush on Sayaka long before you fell into my trap. As soon as I figured out that Makoto and Sayaka have the special motive, I realized that I have no chance of ever being with Makoto. If Makoto and Sayaka value each other so much, why should I try to win Makoto over? They're far too close to be separated. In fact, aside from death itself, I doubt that they'll ever be separated."

Leon shook his head in denial. "No, that's not true!" he said. "There's no way that Makoto and Sayaka are that close! Becoming this close in such a short amount of time, there's no way that's natural!"

"Fact it, Leon," Celeste said. "We're too late. We cannot win over Makoto or Sayaka anymore. They value each other over everyone else. The best we could do is become friends with them. But you messed up your opportunity by clinging on to that crush. You refuse to let go of your crush, which is why you're about to be executed for your crime."

"You're going to be punished as well, Celeste," Leon said. "You broke a rule, and now you're going to be punished!"

"Speaking of punishment," Monokuma said, "We've been standing around here for far too long! I say it's about time for a punishment!"

"Wait a minute!" Natsumi shouted. "We have two people who are about to be punished, right? One because he killed someone, and the other because they broke a rule. So...which one of them is going to be punished?"

"Yeah!" Kiyotaka shouted. "You didn't account for this, did you, Monokuma?"

"So...which one will receive the punishment?" Junko asked.

"I will say Leon will the one punished," Yasuke began, "but we also have a rule breaker. Celeste could be punished as well. Then again, considering how the previous two rule breakers have escaped their punishment, I doubt this time, Celeste will be killed by her punishment."

"Well, Monokuma did say that the next he catches some breaking the rules, they won't be able to escape punishment, right?" Junko asked.

"He said that after you broke a rule and I rescued you from punishment," Yasuke said. "Since Celeste broke a rule before that time... Nope, I have no clue."

"Wait, what's gonna happen to us?" Leon asked.

"You may have been the killer, Leon," Monokuma said. "But Celeste is also the one who masterminded the plan, breaking a rule in the process. Both of you are involved in this case. So you know what, you're both going to be punished. I'm going to throw you two into the same punishment!"

Everyone gasped when Monokuma announced that.

"...What?" Leon and Celeste said at the same time. Then, they began to freak out.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leon screamed. "Nonono, stop this! You can't do that! I'm not the one at fault here! It's Celeste!"

"Quiet, you ball throwing fool!" Celeste shouted, dropping her normally calm demeanor. "Don't pin the blame on me! It was you who killed Hiro!"

"You're the one that tricked me into killing Hiro!" Leon shouted back. "You should be the one who is punished instead!"

"You're the who did the crime," Celeste said. "It should be you who is punished!"

"No, you should be the one punished!" Leon shouted.

"No, it should be you!" Celeste shouted.

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

As everyone witnessed the shouting match between Celeste and Leon, Monokuma let out a giggle.

"Phuhuhu," Monokuma said. "Look at those two! They're trying to make each other the ones that get the punishment instead of themselves. Unfortunately for them, they're going to be punished at the same time."

Everyone except for Leon and Celeste gasped at this.

"And also, they're going to be joined by some special guests!" Monokuma added.

Everyone except for Leon and Celeste also gasped at this.

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma announced. "It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

As the punishment begins, Leon and Celeste continue to argue with each other, oblivious to their eventual fates.

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"No-"

* * *

**GAME OVER**

**Leon has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!**

**You too, Celeste!**

As the argument between Leon and Celeste continues to wage on, Leon felt something gripping around his waist. He and Celeste stopped arguing for a moment and looked down. They saw a clamp wrapped around Leon's waist. They realized that Leon was about to be dragged away to the punishment. However, before Celeste could breathe a sigh of relief, another clamp Celeste and dragged her into the punishment as well.

Everyone was shocked by what they're seeing before their eyes. Makoto and Sayaka in particular were horrified. Then they felt something wrapping around their waist. They looked down and saw a clamp grabbing them both at the same time. Before anyone could react, Makoto and Sayaka are dragged into the punishment, though in a different direction than Leon and Celeste. Everyone was caught off guard by this twist. A huge screen then descended from the ceiling, showing the viewers what was going on with the punished.

Leon and Celeste found themselves in a big circular room, different from the trial room. As they try to figure out where they are, the lights turn on, revealing that they're in a room with a giant roulette wheel as the floor. There's a table found at the center of the room with a pack of playing cards, with two chairs on opposite sides of the table. Then, Makoto and Sayaka showed up, tied together in separate poles. Leon has no idea what's going on or why Makoto and Sayaka are in this room with him and Celeste. Celeste then sat at the table, offering him to play a game with her.

**Place Your Bets**

**"Which blackened do you think will win?"**

**Ultimate Gambler v.s. Ultimate Baseball Player**

**Celestia and Leon's Execution**

The giant roulette wheel then began to spin. Leon really doesn't want to do it, but he sat down at the table to play with Celeste. Monokuma then showed up to explain the rules to both of them. Whoever wins the card game moves on to the roulette. The conditions are simple. If Celeste wins both the game and gets lucky with the roulette, she gets to graduate with Makoto. If Leon is the winner, he graduates with Sayaka. If either wins the card game, but not the roulette, then nobody leaves. If the ball ever lands on the death space, however, the winner of the card game will end up dying.

Leon is terrified by the conditions. Makoto and Sayaka are horrified about the results of the execution. But Celeste remains oddly calm about this. She went along with the rules and decided to start a game. Leon was unsure about if he should play or not, but the possible reward of escaping with Sayaka was enticing enough to make him want to play. Eventually, Leon decided to join the game and play with Celeste.

Leon and Celeste decided to play a simple card game together, one that is easy to understand. Makoto and Sayaka began sweating. They didn't like the idea of being separated, so they hoped that neither player wins overall. The best outcome for them was to have nobody win, because that way, everyone gets to live. However, Leon and Celeste hoped to win, as winning means escaping the school with their respective love interest.

With a combination of both luck and skill, Celeste managed to beat Leon in the card game. But that's not all! She needs to win the roulette game as well. A ball is dropped into the roulette wheel, and the wheel begins to slow down. Celeste kept her eye on the ball, betting that it'll land on a desirable space. And it did. The ball is about to land on the desirable space. If the ball lands there, she'll get to escape with Makoto.

The ball hovers right above the desirable space and is about to land on it. Celeste smiled in anticipation of winning, while Makoto and Sayaka are in horror. The ball soon lands on the space, but right before the ball could come to a complete halt, Monokuma slammed down on the area in front of the space, sending the ball flying high in the room.

Celeste watched as the ball soared through the air. The ball appeared to be landing right on her. She saw her end approaching. Her life flashed right before her eyes. Right before Celeste is crushed by the ball, however, Leon ran in and tackled Celeste out of the way at the last second. The ball lands with a near deafening thud, as well as a sickening crunch.

Makoto and Sayaka were horrified by what they saw before their eyes. Celeste got up, feeling the pain of being tackled. She then looked back at where she once stood. There's a giant metal ball right behind her, and below that ball are the remains of Leon Kuwata.

* * *

Everyone was left shocked and horrified at the execution. Not only did they saw someone die, they also saw someone who watched someone die before their eyes. Four students were dragged into the execution. Only one of them died. The surviving three are still alive, but there's no guarantee that they'll remain intact.

Monokuma was a bit confused by the outcome of the execution. "Eh? That's not supposed to happen," he said. "That gambler was supposed to be the one executed, not Leon. I had plans to make the survivors live with a killer. It'll be a fate worst than death for the killer of this case! Oh well. Looks like the killer let himself be executed, and now we have another rule breaker living among the survivors. I should come up with a punishment for Celeste instead of executing her. Hey, this is a reminder that the next time you break any of the rules, you cannot escape your punishment. And if anyone tries to rescue you from punishment, they'll get punished too! See you at the surface tomorrow!" He then left the trial room, leaving the rest of the students to remained stunned.

"...You have got to be shitting me," Mondo muttered.

"What is even going on here...?" Natsumi asked in confusion.

"Leon..." Kiyotaka said as he began tearing up. "Did he...did he just sacrificed himself to save Celeste?"

"It's not just that..." Hina said. "Makoto and Sayaka were also dragged into the execution. Why? Why does this have to happen to them?"

"My best guess is that they're involuntarily involved in this case," Kyoko said. "Celeste used Makoto and Sayaka as tools for her plan. Monokuma reflected this by dragging them into the execution."

"Why would Monokuma do such a thing?" Yasuke asked. "Makoto and Sayaka don't deserve this."

"Perhaps he wanted to completely break them," Kyoko said. "Monokuma saw how broken Makoto and Sayaka have become. He knew that they were reaching despair. He dragged them into the execution just so make them witness a death with their own eyes, instead of through a screen. He wanted to destroy what little hope they have remaining in them."

"Are you sure they'll be fine?" Hina asked.

Kyoko shook her head. "I'm not sure about that," she replied. "It'll be a long time before they make a recovery."

One of the doors of the trial room opened up, and out comes Celeste. She looked like she has seen better days. Her clothes have dust all over them, her hair is messed up, and there are marks on her face.

"Grr..." Celeste growled. "That fool might've saved me but...ugh, that was so painful."

Nobody batted an eye at Celeste as she makes her way to the elevator. Soon after Celeste entered the room, Makoto and Sayaka came out of the halls. It looks like Makoto is carrying Sayaka, with Sayaka barely making an effort to move her feet.

"Makoto..." Hina said as she shed some tears.

Makoto looked at his classmates for a moment. He didn't say a word to any of them. He just continued to carry Sayaka all the way to the elevator room. Everyone watched as he silently walked past them.

"We should get going," Kyoko said. "The trial is over. The elevator is waiting for us."

"I agree with you with getting out of this trial room as soon as possible," Yasuke said. "But before we do that, I still have many questions about this case."

"We can discuss this later," Kyoko said. "For now, let's get back to our rooms."

Everyone soon left the trial room and headed towards the elevator. They took the elevator ride back up to the first floor and returned to their rooms.

* * *

**Day 6 - 12:00 PM  
Hallway, First Floor  
**

Nobody talked to each other after the trial ended. The school suddenly felt dead and empty with no interactions going on. As soon as the elevator reached the surface, Celeste immediately went to her room and refused to leave it. Everyone separated from each other and took a break to think about what happened during the trial.

Yasuke is still bothered by something. Since Celeste cut into one of the blood pack, it means that she must've have access to this room while she's preparing her plan. However, the last time Yasuke checked, he left the infirmary door closed. How did Celeste managed to gain access to that door? Yasuke remembered that he left this door unlocked before going to the trial room. Perhaps this is a good time to check.

Yasuke first opened up the door to the infirmary. As he expected, the door opened up fine without trouble. He then closed the door and took out the keys to the infirmary and locked the door. After doing that, he tried opening the door again. He was shocked to see that the infirmary door opened up just as easily as if it were unlocked.

"What the hell?!" Yasuke shouted. "The lock doesn't even work?! I thought it did! No wonder Celeste had access to this room!" In frustration, he kicked the door and shook his fist into the air. "Monokuma!"

As soon as Yasuke said the cruel bear's name, Monokuma showed up. "Eh? You called me?" he asked.

Yasuke jumped for a moment as he saw Monokuma. "Whoa," he said. "I didn't expect you to show up. Hey, what's the deal with the infirmary door? Celeste opened up the door when it is clearly locked. You said breaking into locked doors is against the rules. Can you explain to my why you didn't punish her for breaking that rule?"

"Eh? Why didn't I punish Celeste?" Monokuma asked. "For breaking into a locked room, you say? Well, doctor, that room only applies to truly locked doors! If the door appears to be locked, but is actually unlocked, then the door counts as an unlocked door!"

Yasuke was shocked by this discovery. He realized that perhaps the door to the infirmary wasn't as locked as he thought it was. He facepalmed himself for overlooking such a flaw.

"Why wasn't that lock working?" Yasuke asked with a growl in his voice. "It should've worked! That door should've been locked!"

"I'm sorry to say it, but that lock was broken from the start!" Monokuma replied.

Yasuke wondered if what Monokuma said was true, so he investigated the lock to find out. He discovered that the lock part doesn't work! The part that keeps the door in place when it is closed refused to move."

"See?" Monokuma said. "The lock doesn't work. Hope you like having that door forever unlocked!" After letting out a fit of laughter, Monokuma disappeared.

In a fit of frustration, Yasuke kicked the door wide open and never bothered to close it. To him, that door might as well be permanently open. He can't believe that the lock to the infirmary didn't work. No wonder Celeste got into that room easily. He should really make sure nobody enters this room from now on. The next culprit could use this room as part of the next murder.

* * *

**Day 6 - 9:55 PM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

The rest of the day was miserable for Makoto and Sayaka. They had both lost the energy to do anything else but sit around and do nothing. By this point in the day, everyone had returned to their rooms to sleep for the night. All, except for Makoto and Sayaka. They stood in front of the doors to their room, hesitating to enter.

Sayaka opened the door to her own room to see what's inside. She discovered that Hiro's body was no longer there, and all signs of a struggle were erased.

"Hiro is no longer in your room..." Makoto said. "You can use this room now."

Sayaka didn't say anything. She made a few pained noises.

"Huh? Is there something wrong?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka clutched the doorknob. Even if the body is no longer in her room, she could sense a bad feeling coming from it.

"Look, the body is no longer there," Makoto pointed out. "You don't have to worry about sleeping near a corpse."

Finally, Sayaka spoke. She could only say a few words at a time, though. "Can I...stay in your room?" she asked.

Makoto was surprised to hear Sayaka say that. "Huh?" he said. "I'm sorry, did you just say you wanted to sleep with me? Why?"

"I...don't know," Sayaka said. "It's...too...scary..."

"I know," Makoto replied. "This is a death game, after all. Any one of us could die at any moment. We need to be careful. But if that's what you want, Sayaka, then I'll let you sleep in my room. Is that okay with you?"

Sayaka silently nodded. Makoto nodded in return.

"Okay," Makoto said. "Let's go to my room."

Sayaka closed the door to her room and entered Makoto's room with its owner. As they approached the bed, something caught their eye. On the shelf is the gold replica sword on the stand, and right below it is a kitchen knife. Sayaka whimpered as soon as she saw that knife, while Makoto was surprised and angered.

"Oh, screw you, Monokuma," Makoto said. "Why would you do that? Just...ignore those weapons. After that incident, I don't think I want to use a weapon anymore. Come on Sayaka. Let's get some sleep."

Makoto and Sayaka climbed onto the bed together. Sayaka clung on to Makoto, just like how she did it this morning. They felt a bit comfortable doing this, though it still doesn't erase the pain in their hearts. The two soon slept together, unsure about what the next day will bring them.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Broken Star Reunion**

**END**

**Surviving Students: 14**


	11. Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair (Daily Life 1)

They say that I'm a perfect girl. I'm someone who everyone dreams to be. Everyone wants to be like me. Everyone wants to hang out with me. As the Ultimate Idol, I perfectly understand why everyone had those dreams. Who wouldn't want to hang out with the Ultimate Idol? Everyone has this idealistic image of me. They saw me as perfect.

Except...I'm not perfect. I'm far from perfect. There's no way around it. I may look like the perfect girl from the outside, with my shining smile and my brilliant talent. But on the inside, I'm nothing like that. I may smile but, that smile doesn't reach my eyes or my heart. It's painful for me to smile, even if it makes my fans happy.

In my opinion, being perfect means that you cannot improve yourself in any way. You're so good that there's nothing you can do to improve yourself. Some people see me as perfect, that I'm so talented as an idol that there's no way I could improve my skills. But the truth is, there is a way that I can improve myself. There is something terribly wrong with me, and as long as that remains an issue I will never see myself as perfect. I tried so hard to get rid of this problem, but nobody would allow me to do it.

I lived a horrible home life when I was young. I lost my mother before I could get to know her, and my father often worked long hours at work. I was so lonely in my home. It's so scary. When I saw those idols on the screen, I was memorized by them. I thought that, for once, I could get what I was missing in my life: love. So I joined the idol industry, expecting to get the love I was missing in my life. And I did. I received the love from my millions of fans who all adored me.

However, I soon realized that the love I'm getting from my fans isn't the same love as the one I really needed: the love that fills ones heart. It's the type of love that comes from family members, from loved ones, from...romantic partners. I'm not getting that kind of love from my fans. They loved me, but not as a person. They only loved me as an idol. They never truly cared about me. No one, but Makoto.

Makoto is the only one who I can see getting the love I desperately needed. He's so honest. He doesn't hide his true feelings. He's kind as well. He saved that crane back in middle school. If there's anyone who can solve the biggest problem about me, it's got to be him. I always dreamed of being with him ever since I saw him rescue that crane. It's something I wanted for a long time. And now, we're both here in Hope's Peak Academy. After years of being separated, we're both finally reunited.

But that reunion ended up turning out nasty for both of us. Soon after we're reunited, we're both put into this cruel game. Before long, we found ourselves in a murder plot against our will. We watched as we lost everyone's trust. We watched as the person fooled into killing was executed. We watched that person die with our own eyes. And on top of all that, we watched as the one who masterminded this plot escape their execution alive. It's an experience neither me nor Makoto wants to see again. It's so painful going through all of that.

I nearly fell into the bottomless pit of despair. I fell so far so fast. If Makoto weren't here, I would've let myself fall, never seeing the light of hope again. But he's here, stuck near the bottom with me. He's making an effort to return to the top of the pit with me clinging desperately onto him. He seems to be persistent about it, not letting anyone or anything slow him down. I don't know if we'll ever make it back back to the top. It seems so far away, far enough that I'll probably never reach the top again. But as long as Makoto continues to exist, I will cling on to him for as long as we climb our way back up the pit of despair. If he dies, then I can't live with myself anymore. If I die...I don't know if he can handle the pain of losing me.

But as long as Makoto and I continue to live, I will never let go of him...no matter what.

-Sayaka Maizono

* * *

**Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair**

**Daily Life**

* * *

**Day 7 - 7:00 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good morning, everyone! This is a school announcement. The time is now 7:00 AM, which means that nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine, everyone! Today's going to be a beautiful day!"

Another morning, another announcement. Everyone is starting to get used to it. They can't believe that it's almost been a week since they found themselves trapped in this school, forced to play a cruel killing game against their will. In that time, two people have lost their lives, both to the insane plan that Celeste had made. One of them became the victim, and the other paid the ultimate price for his crime. It's horrifying to imagine how much has happened in the previous day. Before going to bed, Kiyotaka told everyone that they must move on from the deaths of their classmate, that they must live for their dead friends.

Unfortunately, some are having difficulty moving on from the deaths of Leon and Hiro.

Makoto and Sayaka woke up from their sleep. Even though they slept for the night, they still felt exhausted. The deaths of Leon and Hiro have haunted them both, especially for Sayaka. She practically cried throughout the entire night, desperately clinging to Makoto.

The position Makoto and Sayaka are currently in...it looked a bit...compromising. If somebody were to see them in this position, they would likely get the wrong idea. Hopefully, Monokuma doesn't catch them doing this. If he did, he will most likely tease them into undressing themselves and...doing some very intimate thing with each other. It's not like Makoto and Sayaka are willing to do that. They felt that this isn't the time to be messing around with each other.

To make things worst, the sword and knife they both took were now on display on the shelf, taunting them into grabbing those weapons to try to kill someone. Makoto and Sayaka have no idea if the special motive they got was still active. If they had killed someone and got away with it, would they be able to escape this school together? It's too risky of a move to pull off. As of now, they can't risk losing each other. If they make any mistake, they will likely lose their lives. As a result, they tried their best to resist the temptation of using those two weapons.

...

They should really get their day going. They soon got off the bed and made their way to the hallway. They didn't say a word to each other as they got up. They only just looked at each other. Sayaka continued to cling to Makoto as he escorted her to their destination.

* * *

**Day 7 - 7:30 AM**   
**Dining Room, First Floor**

Even though two students lost their lives out of 16, the dining room felt a lot emptier. There are 14 surviving students, yet only 12 showed up. Where did the remaining two students go? Everyone doesn't know, but they are concerned about the two students' absence. They began to worry about something terrible happening to those two students.

As usual, Kiyotaka stood in front of the central table, ready to hold the usual morning meeting. However, the central table was not as filled as usual. Two of the students no longer sit at that table, and those two students are Makoto and Sayaka. They instead sat at one of the side tables, watching the meeting as they decided to not participate.

"So, we've made it past the first trial," Kiyotaka said. "That's good for us."

"Dude...enough with repeating what we've already know," Mondo grumbled.

Kiyotaka looked around the central table. "Unfortunately, we appear to be missing a few students," he said. "That's concerning." He then turned to one of the side tables and saw Makoto and Sayaka sitting there. "Hey! Makoto! Sayaka! Come here and join us! You two are still here, so why don't you take a seat at this table?"

Makoto and Sayaka just stared at Kiyotaka, not moving from their seats.

"Huh? What's with the tried looks?" Kiyotaka asked. "Oh, I get it! You must have a hard time sleeping in your room, Sayaka. I understand that. I'd imagine that it would be hard for you to sleep with a rotting corpse in your room. Not sure about you, Makoto."

Everyone stared at Kiyotaka with disapproving looks. Kiyotaka looked at everyone and wondered why they are giving him that look.

"What are you all staring at me for" Kiyotaka asked.

Makoto then put his hood over his head. "...Kiyotaka," he began. "I can't believe you're this insensitive."

"What?!" Kiyotaka gasped.

"Kiyotaka, would you mind shutting your big mouth for once?" Yasuke asked. "Someone will get tried of you of saying that all the time."

"Yeah, Kiyotaka," Junko added. "Do you really believe that you can win your arguments by shouting louder than your opponent? You're gonna lose your voice at this rate."

"Shut up!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I'm only trying to get Makoto and Sayaka over. Come here, you two! There are two free seats in this table. You know you want to join!"

Makoto and Sayaka refused to join the meeting. They turn their eyes away from the central table.

"Just leave them be," Yasuke said. "If they don't want to join, then so be it."

Kiyotaka was stunned into silence for a moment before going back on track. "Fine!" he said. "I'm starting this meeting regardless. At least Celeste is here. She's looking fine after what happened to her yesterday."

Everyone in the central table turn their attention over to Celeste. Celeste looked at her classmates and didn't say anything. Everyone soon returned their attention back over to Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka then took out his pocketbook and checked the attendance. "Let's see," he said. "Currently, the only ones missing are Byakuya and Kyoko. Has anyone seen those two?"

Right when Kiyotaka asked everyone about the whereabouts of Byakuya and Kyoko, one of the two students he is taking about enters the dining room. It's Kyoko and she's...carrying a parasol for some reason. The parasol is black and white, designed in a similar way to Celeste clothes.

"Ah! Kyoko!" Kiyotaka said. "There you are! You had us worried for a second. What's that in your hands? A parasol? Why do you have that parasol? It's not going to rain in this building anytime soon."

Kyoko was silent for a moment before speaking. "I visited Celeste last night," she said. "There was something that's bothering me. If she's the mastermind behind the previous case, then what did she used to knock out Makoto and Sayaka. I paid Celeste a visit and looked around her room, and I found something of interest." She then tossed the parasol onto the table.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Kiyotaka shouted. "That must be Celeste's personal belonging! You can't treat someone else's personal belonging like that! Also, how come Monokuma didn't punish you? That parasol is Celeste's personal belonging, and you took it!"

Kyoko shook her head in disagreement. "Not quite," she said. "Remember, Monokuma only said that the personal property tag only applies to our E-Handbooks and room keys. It doesn't apply to anything else in our rooms, even if we own them. According to him, everything else is property of the school, which means we can touch them without having to worry about being punished."

"Ah, I see," Kiyotaka said. "My apologies! I must've forgotten about that part. However, we're still missing out on one more student. Where is Byakuya? Did you find him anywhere?"

Kyoko stared at Kiyotaka and said nothing.

"Why are we wasting our time with pointless topics?" Yasuke asked, feeling a bit annoyed. "We should take a look at this parasol and see what we could find."

Junko took a look a the handle and found a small dent in it. It's not a big dent, but it appears that this parasol was used as a weapon at some point. "Celeste, did you used your parasol as a weapon?" she asked. "Did you knock both Makoto and Sayaka out with this parasol?"

Celeste only responded with a sneer.

"That does it," Yasuke said. "Celeste used the handle of her parasol to knock both Makoto and Sayaka out. I can't believe this was used as a weapon..."

"Well, anything could be a weapon if you swing it hard enough," Junko said.

Everyone at the central table turn their heads to Junko, looking a bit confused about what she's saying.

"...Never mind," Junko said.

"Well, that was a brief diversion," Kiyotaka said. "It appears that this information came to us too late. We've already made a conclusion about the previous case. Anyways, there are still somethings that we need to talk about. Where did Byakuya go? Has anyone seen him?"

Before anyone could open their mouth and say anything, Monokuma showed up.

"Eh? You're looking for that four-eyed heir?" Monokuma asked. "Don't worry about him! He's just exploring the new areas!"

"What the-?" Mondo said.

"New areas?" Hina asked.

"That's right!" Monokuma said. "You know, it's quite boring seeing all of you walk around and doing nothing. That's because you aren't given enough things to do with your day. You know what they say, a bored prisoner is a dangerous prisoner. If nobody has anything to do for the day, they might get cranky and cause some trouble. Well, that changes today! As a reward for making it past one Class Trial, you get to explore a whole new world in this academy!"

Everyone gasped at the development.

"So, for ever trial we pass, you unlock a new area for us to explore?" Yasuke asked.

"I've gotta say, that's not that bad of a reward," Junko said. "So what new areas have we unlocked?"

"I'm leaving it up to you," Monokuma said. "Feel free to explore the post-trial world as much as you like! And with that, farewell for now!" He then vanished once again.

Everyone was left a bit confused about what they've just heard.

"So...we have a new area to explore?" Hina asked.

"It appears to be this way..." Sakura replied.

"Do you think we'll be able to find a way out?" Hina asked. "Has Byakuya found a way out? Is that why he's missing?"

"I doubt that Monokuma would let us out that easily..." Mondo said.

Kiyotaka slammed his hand against the table. "Alright, everyone," he said. "We have new areas to explore, which means that it's time to split up and move. Explore every area as much as you can. Once evening comes, we'll meet up in the dining room to discuss our findings. Everyone got that? Good. Now stand up and move out!"

Everyone in the dining room stood up and walked out of the cafeteria to explore the new areas. The last ones to get out are Makoto and Sayaka. They decided to give each new area a brief visit and see what their classmates are up to. They remained close together as they explored the school, searching for the unlocked areas.

* * *

**Day 7 - 8:00 AM  
Storage Room, First Floor**

Located near the dining room and kitchen is the storage room. It's basically what one would expect. There are several boxes containing a variety of thing. Some of the boxes are stacked on top of each other.

Natsumi is the one exploring this room. Makoto and Sayaka explored this room first. As soon as they opened the door to the storage room, they were met with a cloud of dust.

"Aw, what the hell?" Natsumi complained. "This room is full of dust! There's dust everywhere! Ugh, I'd better get this place cleaned as soon as possible. Looks like there are a bunch of stuff we could use, but there's no way anyone's visiting this room in this state..."

Makoto and Sayaka coughed the dust out of their systems. They decided that maybe they shouldn't have visited this room. It's far too dusty in here. They might find it difficult to breathe. They decided that there are better places to explore for now, so they decided to leave the storage room.

* * *

**Day 7 - 8:03 AM  
Spa, First Floor**

Prior to the first case, this area of the living area was closed off, and nobody could figure out why. Now that this area has been opened, several students decided to give it a little visit.

The first place the students encountered when entering the spa is the main lobby. There's they can go to a few places. Up ahead are the two changing rooms, one for boys and one for girls. Presumably beyond the changing rooms is a public bathhouse. To the right is a sauna. That's pretty much everything the spa has to offer. There's no other services offered in the spa. Strangely, for some reason, there are no cameras in the spa area. All other areas of the school have at least one surveillance camera, but the spa doesn't have any. Who knows why this is the case.

Makoto and Sayaka entered this room next after their brief visit to the storage room. There, they encountered Kiyotaka and Mondo. Kiyotaka is...oddly enthusiastic for some reason.

Kiyotaka and Mondo noticed that Makoto and Sayaka are there. "Ah!" Kiyotaka greeted. "Makoto! Sayaka! You two are here in the spa! Good news, Mondo and I have found a bathhouse behind the changing rooms! You just have to get past the changing room to access it."

Okay, so there's definitely a bathhouse behind those changing rooms. Got it.

"Taka and I explored this place a little," Mondo said. "It appears that the bathhouse is separated into two sections: one for the boys and one for the girls."

"Not okay that, but there's a sauna in this school as well," Kiyotaka added. "Isn't this great? Now have a place to relax whenever we're experiencing too much stress! I'm sure we'll be fine after we bathe in the bathhouse. Why don't we bathe together, Makoto?"

Makoto scratched head for a moment. "Uh, thanks for the offer, Kiyotaka," he replied. "But...I don't think I'll be taking a bath with you or the other boys. I don't think Sayaka is willing to do the same with the girls."

"What?" Kiyotaka gasped. "What are you talking about? Who doesn't love a nice warm bath? Even if we weren't in the bathhouse to relax, we can still form strong bonds with each other!"

Makoto just stared at Kiyotaka for a moment, wondering what he's talking about. "Uh...what?" he said.

"Come on, haven't you've heard of this belief?" Mondo asked. "It's said that if two people want to strengthen their bonds with each other, they should bare themselves to each other."

Makoto and Sayaka's faces turned red from embarrassment. They began to form some...rather strange images in their heads. They wished that they never heard of that belief. They wished they could get that image out of their heads.

"According to the belief," Mondo continued, "this strengthens bonds between two people because they're showing to each other that they're not hiding anything. They're breaking down the barriers between each other in order to understand each other better."

"Right you are, Mondo!" Kiyotaka said with a smiled. "I would like to strength my bond with you, Makoto. How about we spend some time in the bathhouse together? And Sayaka, if you want, you can join the other girls in the bathhouse! I will be watching everyone, however. I will not allow anyone to sneak a peak at the other side. I won't tolerate such behavior! But it'll be fine! I'm sure everyone can behave themselves. So, what do you two think?"

Makoto and Sayaka felt too uncomfortable remaining in this room any longer. They should probably go to someplace else. They looked at each other and silently agreed that they should get out of here. As soon as they make an agreement, Makoto and Sayaka ran out of the spa.

"Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Get back here! I'm only making a suggestion!"

Mondo sighed and shook his head. "Well, it looks like they're not taking any baths," he said. "So Taka, do you think we should take a bath together?"

Kiyotaka thought about hanging out with Mondo in the bathhouse. "Hmm...it seems like a good idea," he said. "There's also the sauna nearby. Maybe we could use that. Wait! I have an idea!"

* * *

**Day 7 - 8:20 AM  
Swimming Pool, First Floor**

The swimming pool opening up has really made Hina happy. Being the Ultimate Swimmer, she always liked to play in water. As soon as she got to the swimming pool, Hina went to the changing room and changed into her swimming clothes. Then, she dove into the pool and started swimming laps around it.

Makoto and Sayaka watched Hina as she swam, as well as Sakura. They were all impressed by Hina's swimming ability.

"Ah, Hina," Sakura said. "She seems so happy when she's in water."

Makoto slowly nodded his head. "Yeah," he said. "She does."

"I can imagine her heart bring healed up as she swims," Sakura said. "That trial and execution...she's been traumatized by it. I'm glad that all that damage to her heart has been healed." She then turned towards Makoto and Sayaka. "You two must've been really hurt by that execution. I can sense cracks forming in your hearts. I understand why you two are feeling this way. You just saw someone die before your own eyes, powerless to prevent their deaths."

Makoto clutched his heart, feeling the pain coming from it. "I had a feeling someone's going to die soon," he said. "When Monokuma gave the motive videos out, I felt like someone's going to die. It's only natural. This is a game of life and death. Someone has to die in order for the game to continue. It could've be as simple as that. It should've been simple. But when Monokuma gave out that additional motive, I felt like me and Sayaka were being targeted. I figured that someone's going to figure out that it was us that have the special motive. At the time, it felt the first victim was going to be me or Sayaka."

"You were the victims in the previous case," Sakura pointed out. "It's just that you two were not killed, merely injured. You two should be lucky that both of you survived past that ordeal."

Makoto looked at Sayaka and saw how lifeless she felt. "I'm not sure Sayaka would consider herself to be alive..." he said.

"You said that Sayaka does not see herself as alive," Sakura replied, "yet, she's still alive. Why would you say that?"

Makoto thought about it for a moment. His head is starting to hurt, still feeling the pain from that injury. "Well, Sayaka might still be alive," he said, "but she's not okay. I feel like there's something really wrong with her right now. Just try to not to talk to her, okay? She refuses to speak. The only person she says a word to is me..."

"It seems like you two could use some healing for the heart," Sakura said. "I can help you with that. Why don't we take a moment to exercise? It can help clear your mind of unwanted thoughts."

"Thanks for the offer, Sakura, but I'll pass," Makoto replied. "I just need to take of Sayaka for now..."

Sakura paused for a moment before nodding a single time. "I understand why you refused my offer," she said. "Your body is small and frail. You will easily tire yourself if you exercise for even a brief period of time. I suggest keeping the intensity low for you, but if you don't want to exercise, then that's fine with me."

Makoto, Sayaka, and Sakura continued to watch Hina swim laps for a while. Hina has been swimming for quite a while. She could probably do a marathon swim if she wants. This is getting a bit boring. Perhaps another conversation can be started.

"Hey, Sakura?" Makoto said.

"Hmm?" Sakura grunted, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want now?"

"Since the first case is now over, we can now safely talk about our motives," Makoto said. "So, what did yo see if your motive video, Sakura?"

Sakura stared off into the distance and let out a huff of air. "My most important person..." she began. "I've been fighting for as long as I remember. I've fought countless opponents and won countless battles. I did this over many years in my life, and in that time I became the world's strongest woman. But even though I'm the Ultimate Martial Artist, there is one opponent who not even I can defeat. He has remained undefeated to this day. He has never suffered a single loss, that is until recently."

"There is someone who is even stronger than you?" Makoto asked. "You're saying that he has remained undefeated until recently? Who is that man, and who did he lost to?"

Sakura paused for a moment. "This man...he's my longtime rival," she continued. "I've faced him countless times in the past and never defeated him. But he is also my boyfriend. My first love. His name...is Kenshiro."

"You have a boyfriend?" Makoto said in surprise. "And his name is Kenshiro? I've never heard of that man before."

"That's because he only fights in underground tournaments," Sakura explained. "I fought in many official tournaments. That's why few people know about him. Even so, he's even stronger than me."

"I see," Makoto replied. "So you must've seen him in your motive video."

"Indeed," Sakura replied. "However, I refused to let my motive video control my actions. Because as strong as Kenshiro is, there is one opponent that he cannot defeat: an illness."

"...Illness?" Makoto reacted. Sayaka appeared to be surprised as well.

"Kenshiro has been fighting an illness for some time," Sakura said. "He's trying his best to fight back, but it's a losing battle. The doctors said that he doesn't have much to live. I know his eventual fate. He's going to be gone soon. Even if I escape this school and see my beloved Kenshiro again, I don't think I'll have much time with him."

Makoto paused for a moment as he processed what Sakura said to him. "I see," he said. "So you saw Kenshiro in your motive video, yet you don't see him as important to you anymore. You know what his fate is going to be, so you're not willing to carry out any murders. You know, I can't imagine how I'd react if one of my loved ones is suffering from a terminal illness. Knowing that soon they'll be gone forever is just...horrifying. I feel so bad for you, Sakura. If you escape this school alive, I just hope that you get a chance to see Kenshiro."

"Yes," Sakura said. "I hope so."

Sayaka watched as the conversation between Makoto and Sakura goes on. Even though she was hurt by what she heard, she felt that her heart healed up enough to outdo the damage. She began to feel that, if this continues, her heart will eventually be healed. She's still a long way from making a full recovery, but at least she's making progress. As she thought about the conversation, Sayaka felt a presence watching her. She felt a little nervous by it. She wondered where that presence is coming from. It didn't take long for Sayaka to look at the pool, and found Hina watching her. Sayaka jumped in surprise upon seeing this.

"What is it, Sayaka?" Makoto asked as he looked at Sayaka. He then noticed Hina at the pool watching him and Sakura talk. "What? Hina? What are you doing there? Were you watching me?"

"Yep! Totally am!" Hina replied. "Look at you, Makoto. You're making friends now. That's kind of great."

"Hina...shouldn't you be swimming right now?" Makoto asked.

"Nah, I've done enough for now," Hina replied. "Swimming for that long has been great, but an athlete needs a break sometimes. Hey, why don't you take a swim in the pool? I'll stand as a lifeguard!"

Makoto backed away from the pool, taking Sayaka with him. "Uh...no thanks," he said. "I'm doing okay..."

Hina climbed out of the pool and walked up to Makoto. "Hey, what was that Sakura said?" she asked. "Exercise helps clear the mind? Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm sure you and Sayaka would feel a lot better after a nice swim! After all, who doesn't like a nice swim?"

"T-That's not-" Makoto tried to say.

Hina grabbed Makoto and dragged him and Sayaka out of the pool and into the changing room. Sakura watched as this happened and followed them into the changing room.

* * *

**Day 7 - 8:50 AM  
Athletics Changing Room, First Floor**

"This is the changing room," Hina explained. "This is where we can change into our gym clothes. This room leads to two locker rooms, one for boys and one for girls. Each of them are locked behind this scanner...thing...I don't know how to describe it. I believe you scan your E-Handbook into this and it unlocks the door? Yeah, that's about right. That's what I did."

Makoto and Sayaka tried their best to pay attention to Hina, but their eyes focused on the machine gun mounted to the roof of the room. It is pointing at the changing room wall. They shuddered as they saw that gun.

"That doesn't look promising..." Makoto remarked. "What's that thing doing up there?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied. "That thing clearly doesn't belong in a place like this."

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Hina said. "According to Monokuma, this this will shoot us if we used our E-Handbook on the wrong scanner."

"Will this thing kill us?" Makoto asked, feeling uncomfortable seeing that gun. "I...really don't want to get shot."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Hina said. "I'm sure it'll just sting if you get shot. Monokuma will probably used this as a warning to not make the same mistake twice."

Makoto and Sayaka doubted that anyone will be fine if they make the mistake of using the wrong scanner. They don't believe that Monokuma is that lenient with someone breaking the rules. Sure, three students have broken the rules before, and all three of them managed to survive their execution, but in those instances Monokuma is trying to kill them. After seeing someone surviving the punishment after breaking a rule again, he made it clear that the next time he catches someone breaking a rule, he won't let them survive no matter what. He also warned that anyone trying to rescue someone from a punishment will get punished as well.

"Anyways, I'm done with swimming for now," Hina said. "I'm looking forward into swimming with you guys again!" She then went into the girls locker room, used her E-Handbook on the scanner, then entered the room.

Sakura turned over to Makoto and Sayaka. "Are you two still thinking about working out?" she asked.

Makoto shook his head. "We'd rather not," he said. "We'd better get going soon. There's still a few places left to explore."

"You two are still not thinking about working out?" Sakura replied. "If that's what you two want, than I'm okay with it. However, you must clean your mind of the bad in order to let in the good, and exercise can help with that. Let me know if you change your mind."

Makoto and Sayaka headed out the door. "See you later, Sakura," he said before leaving the room with Sayaka.

* * *

**Day 7 - 9:00 AM  
Hallway, Second Floor  
**

The gate blocking the way to the second floor is finally opened. It probably opened up after the first trial. Several students are probably exploring this area of the school right now. Makoto and Sayaka climbed up to the second floor of the school. There, they saw nothing unusual about the second floor. It's just a few hallways that lead to a few rooms. There are two more classrooms in this floor, but they are both identical to the classrooms in the floor below.

Exploring the second floor further, Makoto and Sayaka encountered another set of stairs that's been blocked by a gate. It appears that the area beyond this gate is blocked off for now. They guessed that if they managed to survive another trial, this gate will open up. Only time will tell that their guess was right. For now, there is one more major area of the school left to explore.

Most of the second floor is dominated by the library. The library is hidden behind two large doors, both with large windows. Makoto and Sayaka took a look inside the library to see who's in the library. There, they gasped upon finding someone. Sitting at the table at the back of the library is the blonde, glasses wearing heir everyone is all too familiar with.

"Byakuya?" Makoto gasped. "He's here? What's he doing here?"

Makoto and Sayaka exchanged looks with each other and agreed to explore the library. They open the large doors together and stepped inside the library.

* * *

**Day 7 - 9:05 AM  
Library, Second Floor**

"Hmm..." Hifumi said as he looked up and down the bookshelves. "There's an assortment of books in this library. I see that as a good thing. We don't get bored in this building. However, all of these books are old! Where's the recently released book? I want the latest entry in the...never mind. I don't feel that interested in books anymore..."

Makoto and Sayaka walked pasted Hifumi as they approached Byakuya. It appears that Byakuya is sitting at a table reading a book. There is a desk lamp on the table, and it's currently on. The cord the lamp is attached to is very long, stretching halfway across the library. It appears that the lamp is attached to some extension cords. Makoto and Sayaka walked up to Byakuya, wondering why he's in the library. Along the way, they caught a glimpse of someone else: Toko.

"Gah!" Toko gasped. "W-What are you two doing here?"

"So Byakuya is here all this time..." Makoto remarked. He then looked at Toko. "Toko, you're here as well? Why are you here staring at Byakuya?

"W-What are you t-talking about?" Toko asked. "I-I found Master Togami first! I just h-had a feeling he would be here."

Byakuya shifted his eyes away from the book and looked right at Makoto and Sayaka. "So, you two have finally come," he said. "I've been expecting someone like you two to come here looking for me. Now, get that freak out of my sights."

Toko shrieked when Byakuya ordered Makoto and Sayaka to take her away.

"Eh, what's that sound?" Hifumi said in the background.

"Byakuya, what's going on?" Makoto asked. "What are you doing here? Why are you here? And why do you want Toko to leave?"

"Stop throwing me so many questions," Byakuya replied. "I'm trying to read this book. Don't ask what I'm reading. I won't tell you." He then shifted his gaze over to Toko. "But I can't focus as long as this freak remains in my sight."

"What?" Makoto said in confusion.

"W-Who are you calling a freak?" Toko asked. "I-I'm not a freak! Honest! I-If there's anyone who's a freak, it's t-that girl over there!" She pointed her finger right at Sayaka.

Makoto looked at Toko for a few seconds. Then he looked back at Sayaka. Sayaka tightened her grip around Makoto's arm. She stared at Makoto and slowly nodded, agreeing with Toko. Makoto doesn't know how to respond to this.

Toko pulled a book from the bookshelf behind her. According to the front cover, the book was written by Toko herself. She presented the book to Byakuya, expecting him to read it.

"H-Here!" Toko said. "R-Read this book instead! I can promise to you, t-this book is better than that trash you're reading right now. I-I wrote this just for now! Please, r-read my book!"

Makoto and Sayaka felt very uncomfortable about that. Sure, Toko might be a good novelist, but her attitude is repulsive. They began to doubt that her book is worth reading, especially to someone like Byakuya who have high standards for literate.

Byakuya stopped reading for a moment and stared right at Toko. He has a menacing look on his face. "I won't be reading your trash book," he said.

Toko appeared to be shocked that the boy she's crushing on rejects her book. At the same time, she appears to be rather excited. This contradiction of feelings made Makoto and Sayaka uncomfortable.

"Now, get out of my sights, you freak," Byakuya said. "Your presence is distracting me from reading my book. Makoto, take this freak away. I don't want to see her for any longer than I have to."

"C-Come on," Toko said. "Please, Master Togami. L-Let me watch over you as you read my-"

"I hate to say it, Toko, but we're getting out of here," Makoto said. "Let's leave Byakuya alone."

Toko turned her head and faced Makoto. "Huh?" she said. "But...Master Togami...he hasn't t-touched my book even once! I must make him read it. He'll love it!"

"No. I won't," Byakuya replied.

"Sorry, Toko," Makoto said. "It appears that we have to leave Byakuya alone for now."

Toko quickly turned to Makoto with a shocked expression. "What?!" she gasped.

Makoto and Sayaka grabbed Toko and dragged her away out of the library. Along the way, they get a whiff of her smell.

"Ugh, Toko!" Makoto complained. "Did you even take a shower?"

Sayaka nearly threw up. She can't stand the smell.

"Hey!" Toko screamed. "Let go of me! I-I want to stay with Master Togami just a little longer!"

* * *

**Day 7 - 6:00 PM  
Dining Room, First Floor**

With everyone having finished exploring the new areas, Kiyotaka summoned everyone back to the dining room. There, they began to discuss their findings. Like the morning meeting, everyone gathered around the central table except for Makoto and Sayaka. Oddly enough, Byakuya still isn't here. Some of the students have found him and tried to get him to move, but he wouldn't budge. So they just decided to leave him in the library.

"Alright, everyone," Kiyotaka began. "Our exploration time is over! Everyone, state your findings! Inform everyone what you've found in the new areas."

Natsumi went up first. "There's a storage room near the kitchen," she said. "It's filled to the brim with all kinds of junk. I'm not sure why this school would store such useless things."

"A storage room, you say?" Kiyotaka said. "What did you find in the storage room?"

"Like I said, I found nothing but useless junk," Natsumi replied. "I don't think any of us will find anything useful in the storage room."

"You sure about that, Natsumi?" Kyoko asked. "I checked the storage room after you've left. I found multiple sports equipment in the storage room, some gym clothing, and a few snacks."

"You've found sports equipment in the storage room?" Hina asked. "Nice! Now we can use the gym to play sports! How exciting! Shame Leon isn't around anymore to use those equipment. He would've liked them."

"And you've found some snacks as well," Hifumi said. "I bet they taste so nice!"

Kyoko stared at Hifumi for a brief moment. "I'm not sure how long those snacks are stuck in the storage room," she said. "They're probably all expired."

"Aw..." Hifumi groaned in disappointment.

"Don't be disappointed just yet," Kyoko said. "We don't know the exact date we're in right now, so the snacks might still be fresh."

"Ah, so they are safe to eat," Hifumi said. "Good! But, where did those snacks come from? They didn't come from the student store, so they had to come from somewhere. Wouldn't this imply that there's a way out of this school?"

"I'm not sure," Kyoko said. "It's possible that these snacks came in shortly before someone trapped us in this school. If that's the case, then there is a way out. It's just that somebody locked it shut before-"

"Ugh! I'm so frustrated about this talk about pointless topics!" Kiyotaka said. "Can we please move on now! We have more things to talk about!"

Kyoko stopped talking about the topic of snacks and possible escape routes. She remained silent as everyone talked about different topics.

"Alright, everyone," Kiyotaka said. "Who wants to talk next?"

Hina immediately raise her hand. "Oh! Sakura and I found a pool," she said, "as well as a changing room. Finally! The pool is now open! I took a swim around the pool and the water feels so nice! Oh, and the changing room, we can use that to change into our gym uniforms or our swimsuits. So there's that."

"There is one more thing I would like to point out," Sakura said. "There's a turret mounted to the ceiling of the changing room. It is pointed right at the two doors."

"Towards the hallway?" Kiyotaka asked.

"No, towards the locker rooms," Sakura replied.

"What kind of school would install a turret inside a building?" Yasuke asked. "I am baffled at the person who designed this school. This is supposed to be Hope's Peak Academy, the most prestigious school in the world full of the most talented students. Why would this school, or any school, need such cruel weaponry?"

"What's the point of that turret?" Junko asked. "Is it just to shoot us if we get too close to the locker rooms?"

"Not quite," Sakura replied. "The two locker rooms are locked behind a scanner. We scan out E-Handbooks to open the lock. It seems that Monokuma will not let us get away with making a mistake. If we use our E-Handbook on the wrong scanner, we'll be shot by that turret. Based on the size of that turret, I don't think any of us can survive a single shot, not even me."

"That...seems like an unpleasant experience," Yasuke said. "I do not want to be shot at all."

"What kind of maniac would allow such a thing?" Mondo asked.

"Let's forget about that part for now," Kiyotaka said. "I do not want to think about me getting shot by that turret...or anyone for that matter. I will not tolerate anyone being shot ever!"

Everyone stared at Kiyotaka, stunned at what he just said.

"Anyways, moving on from that topic," Kiyotaka continued. "Does anyone have anything else to say?"

Kiyotaka waited for a moment for someone to answer.

"Anyone?" Kiyotaka asked again.

Still no answers from anyone.

Kiyotaka then gave up with waiting and decided to respond for himself. "Fine, I'll say something," he said. "Ahem! Mondo and I checked out the spa that opened up. We found a public bathhouse, one for girls and one for boys, as well as a sauna. And that's about it. We can use that spa to go and relax whenever we fell we are too stressed out. So, anyone willing to take a dip in the bathhouse?"

Nobody said anything. Several people felt uncomfortable about taking a bath with others. There are some who are willing to do it, but most aren't okay with baring it all in front of others, even if they're the same gender as them. Some even formed rather...strange images in their heads. Toko appears to be drooling with excitement after seeing those images.

"What? No one?" Kiyotaka asked. "How disappointing! I was looking forward to taking a nice bath with some of the boys. We'd better move on. Has anyone else found anything?"

"I have," Byakuya said unexpectedly.

Everyone turned their heads to the doors of the dining room. There, they found Byakuya standing there with something in his hand: a black book.

"M-Master Togami!" Toko said excitedly. "You're here!"

"Byakuya?!" Kiyotaka gasped. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you in the library?"

Byakuya walked up to the central table. He gave everyone a menacing look. "I've found something in the library," he said. "Actually, I found this in the archives room. It is located behind the library, behind a hidden door."

"You found a hidden room?" Kiyotaka asked. "Did you happen to find an escape route?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Byakuya said. "There are no exits in the archives room other than the on leading to the library. But anyways, I've found something of interest in the archives look. Take a look." He then tossed the book onto the table for everyone to read.

"Hey! Enough with tossing things onto the table!" Kiyotaka shouted. "This is the second time someone has done this! You'd better place things on the table gently next time!"

"Look, it's just two times, okay?" Hifumi said. "You should've been annoyed the third time this has happened. Because, you know, rule of three?"

Everyone took a look at the book on the table. Well, everyone except for Makoto and Sayaka. Those two continued to sit at one of the side table watching everyone else. Everyone else read the title of the book. It reads, "The Murder Cases of Genocide Jack". For some reason, Toko froze up when she read the title of the book.

"Genocide Jack?" Hina said. "Who's that?"

"Haven't you heard of Genocide Jack?" Byakuya asked. "He a notorious murderer who has killed many men. He has a...particular style to his killings."

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Yasuke said.

Hifumi began sweating nervously. "I-Is it safe to open this book?" he asked. "I feel like we're going to get cursed if we open it..."

"Shut up," Yasuke said. "Curses don't exist. If you believe in them so easily, then you are easily-"

Hifumi saw Kyoko as she's about to open up the book. "Wait!" Hifumi shouted. "Don't open that book!"

Too late. Kyoko opened the book and showed everyone its contents. As soon as everyone saw the contents of the book, they freaked out.

"Gah!" Natsumi shrieked. "Gross!"

"What the shit is this?!" Mondo roared.

"Oh my goodness..." Hina gasped in shock.

Inside the book are case files about the murder victims of Genocide Jack, It's as gruesome as everyone expected. There are images detailing the many victims of Genocide Jack. These poor men were killed in brutal ways. Blood poured out of their bodies at every opening. It's a horrifying sight. Toko took one look at the images and nearly passed out and threw up. The book might contain images of blood, but it's still blood.

Makoto and Sayaka are the only ones who didn't see the contents of the book, but based on everyone's reactions, they figured that what's inside isn't for the squeamish. It's a good thing they didn't take a look inside. It'll shatter Sayaka's fragile and broken mind even more, and it would give Makoto even more nightmares.

As everyone continued to scan the pages of the book, they noticed a pattern in the case files. As Byakuya stated earlier, all of the victims were men. There was no women victims in sight. Furthermore, all the bodies were pinned to the wall with scissors, with the scissors mainly being placed on the wrists. In addition, the words BLOOD LUST were written on the wall where the victim was being hung. The words were written with the victim's own blood.

"So...these are the crimes committed by Genocide Jack," Yasuke said, shaken by what he saw.

"I feel bad for all these men," Sakura said. "They lived normal, happy lives, until they day they met Genocide Jack. They do not deserve this fate at all."

"Look, my clan might be the most notorious clan in all of Japan," Natsumi said. "My family fears no man. But Genocide Jack? Even he scares me!"

"No shit..." Mondo said. "If I ever met this Genocide Jack ever, I'm done for."

"So wait, who is this Genocide Jack?" Hina asked. "Who is he?"

Byakuya stared at Hina right into the eyes with an icy glare. "The truth is, we don't know for sure," he said. "But based on this collection of case files being stored in Hope's Peak Academy, it's likely that he's in Hope's Peak itself."

Everyone gasped at this revelation. They already knew a murderer in this school. He's now dead, executed for his crimes. But a serial killer in this school? That's an even more horrifying thought. They began to wonder if this Genocide Jack will ever go out for them.

"Wait a second..." Kiyotaka said. "We're the only ones remaining in Hope's Peak Academy. There's no one else in this school other than Monokuma. Could it possible that...Genocide Jack is one of us?"

"Perhaps," Byakuya replied.

"So who is it?" Kiyotaka asked, demanding answers. "Do you know? Tell me! Please, tell me now! I'm begging you!"

Byakuya glared at Kiyotaka for a moment before turning around and walking away. "I don't provide you with answers," he said. "As far as I know, Genocide Jack could be any one of us. He could kill any of us at any moment. You'd better watch your backs, everyone. One moment you could be all by yourself. The next moment, Genocide Jack will attack you from behind and stab you to death. We don't know who exactly Genocide Jack is. All we know is that he does exist, and that he is in this school." He then exited the dining room, leaving everyone with the case files of Genocide Jack on the table.

"So...Genocide Jack is one of us..." Natsumi began. "I really don't want to face him at all. The question is...who could it be?"

"Just forget about Genocide Jack," Yasuke said. "I've never heard of him before. It's probably a urban legend somebody came up with to try to scare people. He doesn't exist."

"Are you shitting me?" Mondo said, shaking his fists. "That guy's a maniac, killing off men left and right. Don't you see? We're both men! He could kill us at any moment and get away with it!"

"Calm down, you two," Kiyotaka said. "Genocide Jack might be scary, but there's little change that he'll kill anyone! There's no need to worry. As Dr. Yasuke said, Genocide Jack doesn't exist!"

"But what if he does exist?" Mondo asked. "What if Genocide Jack is one of us?"

"The identity of Genocide Jack..." Natsumi began pondering. "Byakuya said that it's a male and that he's in this school along with us. As far as we know, we're the only ones in Hope's Peak Academy. Does that mean that Genocide Jack is one of us?"

"We currently have six suspects for Genocide Jack," Kyoko said. "Unfortunately, none of the suspects seem to be perfect candidates for him."

"So it has to be a girl..." Junko said. "Could it be a lie that Genocide Jack is a boy? Is Jack a girl all along?"

"Even if we switch the list of suspects to only include girls, we still can't be sure," Kyoko said. "None of the girls seem to be the perfect candidates for Genocide Jack."

"So Genocide Jack isn't real?" Kiyotaka asked.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like we're missing a student?" Hifumi suggested. "Like, there's someone who's supposed to be here with us, yet is absent for some reason."

Kiyotaka pulled out his pocketbook and read through the list of students. "It appears that we're missing one student..." he noted. "There's a gap in the list of students. Why is that?"

"So, Genocide Jack is the missing student?" Mondo asked.

Kiyotaka thought about that possibility for a moment. He then closed his pocketbook and put it back in his pocket. "Ah, who am I kidding?" he said. "Genocide Jack probably doesn't even exist! He's just a myth built up just to scare us. There's nothing to worry about! Anyways, this meeting has been going on for long enough. I say it's time we end this meeting! Everyone, you're dismissed!"

Everyone got up from their seats and was about to head off in their own direction. However, as they prepare to exit the dining room, they noticed that someone's missing.

"Hey, where did Toko go?" Hina asked.

"Yeah, she was standing right over there just a minute ago," Junko added. "What happened to her?"

"Oh, don't worry about her!" Kiyotaka assured. "She just...ran away to her room. That's all!"

Yasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah...sure," he said sarcastically.

Everyone then exited the dining room one by one.

* * *

**Day 7 - 9:45 PM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Celeste was on her way back to her dorm room after a long day of walking aimlessly around the school. She was about to enter her room, but then her path was blocked by someone.

"Hey, Celeste?" Yasuke began. "Can we talk for a moment? There's still something that's bothering my mind."

Celeste looked away from Yasuke. "...Go away," she said. "I'm not here to talk. Just let me into my room."

Yasuke shook his head. "I can't do that right now," he said. "I still have several questions left. It's about the previous case."

"...Why do you want to know more about the previous case?" Celeste asked. "It's over already. Leon is dead. There's no need to talk about it anymore."

"Yes, I know the first case is over," Yasuke replied. "However, there are still somethings that are left unanswered. What were you doing the night of the first murder? More importantly, during the first few days in Hope's Peak Academy, I heard some footsteps coming from the hallway. They continued for the next few nights, and then they suddenly stopped last night. What happened? Do you have anything to do with this?"

Celeste said nothing as she stared at Yasuke.

"Tell me something, Celeste," Yasuke said. "Don't lie to me. I need answers now. How did you know when to strike both Makoto and Sayaka? We know that you were aware of the fact that Makoto had the sword, but how did you know that Sayaka had the knife? You did say that you saw Makoto take the sword. Did you see Sayaka take the knife as well? Please, Celeste. Answer me!"

Instead of lying about what she did the night of the first murder, Celeste just went around Yasuke and shoved him aside. She unlocked the door to her own room and entered it.

"Celeste!" Yasuke cried. "Wait! Stop right there!"

Before Yasuke could go after her, Celeste closed the door shut and locked it. Yauske began to wonder if the dorm room locks work as intended. He tried to open Celeste's room, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Figures..." Yasuke grumbled. He concluded that all the doors to the dorm room had properly functioning locks. However, what does that say about the other locks in the school? He's not sure if he could trust those locks anymore. They could simply not work at all.

Yasuke didn't get what he was looking for from Celeste. He decided that it's time to move on from the previous case. He walked back to his own room to sleep for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of the story comes out. This time, we're shifting focus away from Makoto and Sayaka for now and focus on some of the relationships that are being built up. We still have three more pairings left to explore, and no, Byakuya and Toko are not having a scene together. Do you think Byakuya is willing to hang out with anyone, let alone the poor freak that is Toko?
> 
> The observant among you might've noticed that I've made a few changes to the structure of the building. Here's a list of changes.  
> 1\. The swimming pool and changing rooms have been moved to the first floor, in the athletics section of the building. This is because before, the swimming pool was located on the second floor, above the gym. This make little structural sense. It doesn't look like it, but water is heavy! There's nearly a metric ton of water for every cubic meter of it, so a pool would either need to be small, or be placed on a more reasonable spot like the first floor.  
> 2\. The location of the sauna has been moved to the lobby of the spa from the bathhouse. Why? Don't ask. The spa isn't that important for now.  
> 3\. The library is much larger, dominating much of the second floor. Considering that Hope's Peak Academy is the most prestigious...you get the idea, I expect the library to be quite large. Okay, to the school library isn't that big compared to most typical libraries but still, it's pretty big for a school library.
> 
> In addition to the changes in the structure, the existence of Genocide Jack is now hinted at in this chapter rather than the previous chapter. Why did the writers hint at Genocide Jack in chapter one when he (she?) has no relevance in that chapter? I don't know. If Genocide Jack is going to be important, why not hint his (her?) existence in the chapter he's (I couldn't bother) relevant in?
> 
> I don't know. Some writers can make strange decisions about their stories sometimes...


	12. Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair (Daily Life 2)

**Day 8 - Unknown Time**   
**Dormitory, First Floor**

"You don't understand the world we're living in right now. You don't even understand what game we're playing. The game we're playing right now is a game of life and death. In this game, there are only two outcomes for us: to live or to die. In order for one of us to live, one of us must die. It is a zero-sum game, where someone's gains balance out the other's losses."

"Zero-sum game? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You should know this by now. You came from a cruel world where clans are in a constant fight over each other. Your clan is the most infamous clan Japan has ever seen. It's only natural that you would come across zero-sum game scenarios. Admit it. Face the truth already. Your clan has been built upon the losses of countless clans. The members of your clan have taken something away from every clan they defeat. Have you got this by now?"

"W-Why are you saying this? How does this apply to the current situation right now?"

"We live in a situation where we must compete for resources. This has happened countless times around the world. It is why we've fought many wars over the ages. Humans have fought countless wars over resources, and now, we're fighting over a resource: the blackened."

"How is that even a resource? There's no way that could be a resource. You're just spouting nonsense to make yourself look smart!"

"It is a resource, and a limited very one. Only one of us can be the blackened. Only one of us can graduate this school. In order for us to graduate, we must take the lives of someone and then send everyone to their deaths from their own mistakes."

"That's not even a zero-sum game anymore. You're killing off many lives just to save one. At that point, it's one person's gain in exchange for everyone's losses. Everyone will have lost their lives just to save yours. Do you have any idea how insane that is? Do you have any idea how insane you've became? Face it, you just made a plan to fool us to wrongly accuse two innocents, sending everyone but the true killer to their deaths, including your own. What kind of person have you become?"

"...You'd better shut your mouth now. You refusing to remain silent is a sign that you refuse to adapt. As I said many times before, if you don't adapt, you're going to die. If you continue to do this, then you won't survive. Somebody's going to kill you and-"

"Oh, shut up!"

*WHAM*

* * *

**Day 8 - 7:30 AM  
Dining Hall, First Floor**

Breakfast began as usual today. It would be another typical breakfast in this academy...if only there weren't a few students that are absent.

"Hey, someone's missing..." Kiyotaka said. "Again? I thought everyone was supposed to come here for breakfast! Who's missing?" He then looked around the room looking for the missing students.

"It appears that we're missing Toko today," Junko remarked. "Not only that, but we're missing Celeste as well. Where could those two girls be?"

"I could understand why Toko would not be here today," Yasuke said. "She is acting strangely when we talked about Genocide Jack. She's probably locked herself in her room. Celeste, on the other hand...I'm not so sure about her."

"Oh no," Natsumi said. "Don't do that! Don't make Celeste come here!"

Kiyotaka stared at Natsumi. "Why not?" he asked.

"Celeste is a dangerous woman," Natsumi said. "She made that insane plan to take all of us down with her! We shouldn't have acted so casual around her!"

"Yeah, that black dressed chick was insane!" Mondo shouted. "She nearly got us all killed!"

"Calm down, you two," Kiyotaka said. "Even if she did some awful things to us, Celeste is still our classmate. I'm sure she won't pull off the same trick on us again!"

Yasuke rolled his eyes and groaned. "Yeah...sure..." he said sarcastically. "Celeste will definitely not try to get us all killed again..."

Hina stood up from her seat. "Well...even if she did bad things to us, I'm sure Celeste will change," she said. "After all, she didn't exactly kill someone directly..."

"No! No!" Natsumi begged. "Don't do it! Don't try to get Celeste to come over here! She cannot be trusted!"

Despite Natsumi's protests, Kiyotaka decided to search for Celeste. "Alright, everyone," he said. "Let's go and find Celeste and check up on Toko. Follow me!" He then exited the dining hall followed up by several students, with some trying to stop Kiyotaka from looking for Celeste.

Not everyone followed Kiyotaka out of the dining room. Makoto and Sayaka decided to stick around in the dining room as well as Sakura and Byakuya. They watched as everyone left the dining room and went back into finishing up their breakfast.

* * *

**Day 8 - 7:36 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

"Hello?" Hina said as she knocked on Toko's door. "Toko? Are you coming out? It's me, Hina. I'm just here to check up on you. Are you okay? Hey, are you even coming out?"

No matter how much Hina tried, Toko refused to open up her door. It's as if she's doing her best to ignore the knocking on her door. Hina wasn't deterred by this. She continued to knock on the door trying her best to get Toko to open the door. When that failed, Hina switched to ringing the doorbell, expecting that to work. It still doesn't work.

While Hina is trying her best to get Toko to answer the door, the others gathered in front of Celeste's door and tried to check up on her. Yasuke tried knocking on the door, but just like with Toko, the door didn't open. He then tried ringing the doorbell, but that too didn't work. This is starting to become concerning.

Junko turned around and faced someone else. "Hey, does any of you think that something terrible has happened to Celeste?" she asked. "Yasuke has been doing this for quite a while, and she's still not responding. Do you think that...she's been murdered?"

"What? Murdered?" Mondo gasped. "So soon?"

"We haven't even gotten another motive yet!" Kiyotaka said.

Hina turned her head to the side facing the group for a moment, wondering what they're talking about. She then ignored them and continued to try to get Toko to open the door. At one point, she even tried to open the door herself. Unsurprisingly, the door didn't budge. However, seeing this gave Junko an idea.

"Hey Yasuke, did you try just opening the door?" Junko suggested.

"Why would that work?" Kiyotaka asked. "You do realize that we're breaking the rules if we do that, right? Do you want Yasuke to be punished?"

Junko shook her head. "No..." she replied.

Yasuke scratched his head. "Well, the rules did say that if we tried to break into the locked doors, then we might get punished," he said. "However, if the door is unlocked, then we won't get punished. This door might be locked, though. Still, it's worth a shot."

Kiyotaka shook his head. "Don't do it, doctor," he ordered. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

Yasuke touched the doorknob and tried to open it. To everyone's surprise, the door was unlocked.

"What the-?" Kiyotaka gasped. "Did Celeste just forgot to lock her door?"

"I thought so too," Yasuke replied. "This door was locked the night before. Celeste must've unlocked it before the morning announcement could play. I wonder what could've happened to her last night..." He then began to open up the door.

"Oh no..." Junko said, getting a bad feeling about this. "Please don't tell me that-"

Yasuke opened the door and took a step inside. There, he and the others found Celeste. To his surprise and everyone's relief, Celeste was still alive. She was just found...all tied up and on the floor.

"What the shit?" Mondo gasped.

"Celeste...what happened to you?" Kiyotaka asked. "Who did this to you?"

Hina heard what's going on and rushed into the scene. She gasped upon seeing Celeste tied up and on the floor. "Oh my gosh..." she said. "Celeste...why?"

Celeste then rolled over and faced the other students. She then growled at them...or maybe one of them. The students aren't sure. Hina was relieved that Celeste is fine, though.

"Well, at least she's still alive," Kiyotaka said. "But still, who could've done this to you?"

"Save the questions for later," Yasuke said. "For now, we need to undo the tie and-"

"No! Don't do that!" Natsumi begged. "Haven't you guys realized this already? Celeste is dangerous! We shouldn't trust her!"

The others turn their attention over to Natsumi, becoming suspicious of her. Natsumi looked at everyone, wondering why they're all giving her a look. Then she realized that she made a mistake that exposed herself as the culprit behind this.

"...You should've kept your mouth shut, Natsumi," Yasuke said.

"Crap..." Natsumi said as she sulked in place.

"At least Celeste is still alive," Kiyotaka said. "If Celeste was dead, then we know who the killer is. In any case, we'd better untie Celeste and feed her sometime. But you're right, Natsumi. Celeste has tried to get us all killed before. We should keep an watchful eye on someone. However, in exchange for reminding us, someone will keep an watchful eye on you, Natsumi! Because you did this!"

Natsumi growled at Kiyotaka as she was sent off to her own room.

After Natsumi left, the students got to work and freed Celeste from the ropes tying her down. Once they do that, they kept her in her own room and make sure she doesn't leave it at any time.

"Alright, Celeste is stuck in her room for a while," Kiyotaka said. "Unfortunately, it looks like she didn't have any food. Someone better feed her. Now that I think about it, we also need to reassign jobs now that Hiro is dead. Who wants to take over laundry from now on?"

"I'll feed Celeste!" Hifumi said immediately.

The students looked at Hifumi, wondering why he said that.

"Dude, aren't you in charge of trash duty?" Mondo asked.

"Why do you want to feed Celeste?" Kiyotaka asked. "Don't you have another job already?"

"Well, it's because..." Hifumi began. Then he slumped down and sighed. "You know, I just don't feel like taking out the trash anymore. I want a better job than that!"

"If you decided to feed Celeste, then we need to find another student to take over trash duty," Kiyotaka said. "Listen up, everyone! Who wants to take over trash duty from now on?"

No one stepped in to take the trash duty away from Hifumi.

"Seriously?" Kiyotaka said. "No one? Come on, you know that we can't have everyone be responsible for their own trash! The culprit might use this opportunity to throw away important evidence!"

Junko then sighed. "You know, we don't really have a lot of things to do in this school," she said. "Even with the new areas opening up, it still feels like there's nothing for us to do other than wait. Feeding Celeste shouldn't take that long, so how about Hifumi keeps his job?"

"What?" Hifumi gasped as he jumped. "Hey, I don't want to keep being everyone's trash man! I wanna do something else besides that!"

Kiyotaka thought about the possibility of Hifumi keeping his task for a moment. "Junko...now that you mention it, it still feels like we don't have much to do in this school," he said. "I think I can come up with something to change that. But for right now, Hifumi, you're keeping your job as the trash man!"

"Aw man..." Hifumi groaned.

"On top of that, you're also responsible for feeding Celeste!" Kiyotaka added. "Now get to the kitchen. I'm going to plan an event for everyone to participate in."

"What kind of event?" Mondo asked.

"Oh, you'll see when we get there," Kiyotaka replied. "Don't wait too long! It's going to come up soon! Now everyone, let's return to the dining room and finish our breakfast!"

The rest of the students then went back to the dining room and resumed their breakfast. Meanwhile, those who remained in the dining room exited it and returned to their rooms.

* * *

**Day 8 - 9:00 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

After finishing breakfast, Makoto spent pretty much the rest of the day in his room comforting Sayaka. He sat down on a chair with Sayaka, spending long hours with her in his arms. He rubbed her back to try to comfort her. It appears to be working.

"Feeling better?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka nodded, rubbing her face against Makoto's chest. "Yeah..." she replied. "I feel...so much better now..."

"That's a sign that we're making progress," Makoto replied. "Are you sure you can talk to others?"

"No..." Sayaka replied.

Makoto sighed. "Seems like we still have a long way to go before you make a full recovery," he said. "Just stay with me for a little longer okay?"

Sayaka was silent for a few seconds. Then she began to tear up and spoke again. "Makoto..." she said. "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" Makoto replied. "For what?"

"I'm sorry...for getting us into this," Sayaka said. "I...I should've stuck to our promise. I should've stayed in my room when you told me to. I shouldn't have taken that knife. I'm sorry, I-I just thought that I needed a weapon too...just to defend myself..."

Makoto paused for a moment after hearing the apology. It's clear that Sayaka deeply regretted what she did the night of the first murder, and that she wished that she didn't take those actions. He clutched his fist, gripping on Sayaka's hoodie tighter. He felt her pain, the pain of breaking a promise to try to defend herself, only to get involved in an insane plot. At the same time, Makoto knew that he wasn't fully innocent. He made a mistake the night of the first murder as well. He decided to communicate that to Sayaka.

"Look, Sayaka," Makoto said. "You're the only one at fault for putting us in this situation. It's my fault as well."

Sayaka lifted her face off of Makoto's chest and looked up at his face. She looked a bit confused about what Makoto meant when he said that it's his fault as well. "...What do you mean?" she asked.

"I shouldn't have opened my door," Makoto said. "I should've kept to the promise we've made. If I haven't opened my door up the night of the first murder, I wouldn't have found myself wrapped up in this insane plan to get us all killed. Celeste, the mastermind of that plan, wouldn't have access to my sword. She wouldn't have been able to set up her plan. But...I foolishly opened up my door, and fell right into the trap."

Sayaka whimpered in pain upon hearing that. "So...it's Celeste's fault too?" she asked.

"Yes, it's Celeste's fault," Makoto replied. "It's her fault as well that we're so...broken. She's the one who set up the plan. She sent two of our friends to their deaths. She nearly got us all killed by convincing everyone that the culprit was us. However, we can't ignore the one who's really the one to blame for this. It's Monokuma, the one who put us in a killing game and forced us to betray each other to try to escape. It's his fault that Leon and Hiro are dead. He gave all of us a motive, a reason for us to try to escape, and watched as we all kill each other in a desperate attempt to get what we wanted. He's the one who pushed Celeste into making her plan. He also dragged both of us into the execution and forced us to watch someone die. If there's anyone we should blame, it's him."

Sayaka tightened her grip on Makoto, though not so much as to suffocate him. "Makoto..." she said in a somber tone.

Makoto turned to the weapons on the shelf, the gold sword and the kitchen knife. "And now, that bear placed our weapons there, taunting us to take them," he said. "What is Monokuma expecting us to do? Grab them and try to kill someone? No, that's not what we're doing. Just don't let Monokuma control your actions, okay?"

"Okay..." Sayaka replied.

"Good," Makoto said. "Now, just stay with me for a little longer. I'll make you feel better soon."

Sayaka then lifted herself up and rested her head on Makoto's shoulder. They're in a...compromising position as they sat together on a chair, but neither of them seemed to mind it. As long as they feel, they don't care what position they're in. Makoto continued to comfort Sayaka for a while in silence. It seems like this session will go smoothly when...

"You two are still intimate with each other?" Monokuma said as he showed up.

Makoto nearly jumped upon seeing Monokuma. "Oh no," he said. "Not you again!"

Sayaka froze up as soon as she heard Monokuma's voice. She was so frozen, she found herself unable to turn her head around.

"What are you two doing in this room?" Monokuma asked. "Makoto, did you invite Sayaka to stay in your room? Did you ask her to sleep in your room with you?"

"You've got it wrong, Monokuma," Makoto said. "I didn't asked Sayaka to sleep with me. She asked me if I'm okay with sleeping with her!"

"Aren't those two exactly the same?" Monokuma said. "The outcome is the same either way! You are sleeping with the one, the only, Sayaka Maizono! You're fulfilling the dreams of many boys, lucky boy! Aren't you glad that you're doing this?"

"Monokuma..." Makoto said. "Stop this."

Monokuma then gets sweaty for some reason. "You and Sayaka have been doing this for quite a while, haven't you?" he asked. "I've just noticed that you're doing this for the past few nights. Are you two in love? You should be! If you two love each other so much, then why don't you just take off your clothes and-"

"No! Don't say it!" Makoto shouted as his face turned red. "I don't want to hear it! This isn't the time to be joking about this!"

"Aw, what's the matter?" Monokuma asked. "You don't want to get intimate with your precious Sayaka? You two have been getting awfully close over the past few days. Shouldn't it be time to get really up close and personal? Hey, didn't one of your classmates mention that baring it all builds relationships? I'm sure you two want to do that!"

Makoto didn't say anything as he stared at Monokuma.

"Hey, don't try to fight back against your innermost desires," Monokuma said. "Trust me, you want to do this! What kind of boy doesn't want to take off their clothes in front of the girl they love? What kind of boy doesn't want to see the girl they love take off their clothes? What kind of boy doesn't want to get up close to the girl they love and-"

"Shut. Up," Makoto ordered, not wanting to hear another dirty joke.

"Okay, okay!" Monokuma said. "I get it, you don't like my dirty jokes. Fine, I'll stop saying my dirty jokes to you and your precious Sayaka. But be careful. The longer you fight against your innermost desire, the more likely you're going to try to fulfill that innermost desire. If you decided to become intimate, don't say that I didn't warn you!" He then shifted his gaze over to the weapons on the shelf. "By the way, did you two take a look at those two weapons? That's because your special motive is still active! Go ahead, try to kill someone, get away with murder, and graduate this school along with your precious Sayaka. You know you want to!"

Makoto continued to stare at Monokuma, not saying a single word.

"Well, I better get going soon," Monokuma said. "Bye now!" He then vanished once again.

The room went nearly silent for a few moments. The only sounds that fulled the room are Sayaka whimpering in fear. It took her a moment to catch on to what's going on.

"...Is he gone?" Sayaka asked.

Makoto sighed as he resumed comforting Sayaka. "He's gone for now, Sayaka," he said. "Just don't let Monokuma control you. I know what he's trying to achieve."

Makoto and Sayaka continued to spend the remainder of the day with each other in a room.

* * *

**Day 8 - 11:00 AM  
Infirmary, First Floor**

Yasuke spent some time in the infirmary doing an inventory check. It is already known that Celeste had ruined one of the blood packs, but he wanted to make sure no other items were stolen from the infirmary. He made a list of every type of item found in the infirmary, as well as a count of the number of items of a specific type. It appears that nothing else was stolen from the infirmary, but Yasuke knew that he shouldn't be relieved just yet. The next murder plot could possibly involve one of the medical instruments, particularly the scalpels. Why would this school carry scalpels, he has no idea.

As Yasuke checked the inventory of the infirmary, Junko peeked her head into the door.

"Hey, Yasuke?" Junko began. "Do you have a moment?"

"Can you give me a moment?" Yasuke asked without even looking at Junko. "I'm kind of busy here."

Junko looked at the open door, wondering why it's wide open. "Hey, shouldn't you keep that door closed?" she asked. "You don't have to keep it open."

Yasuke sighed. "Look, that door might as well be open permanently," he said. "The lock doesn't even work. The door opens up just fine either way."

"So what you're saying is the lock is broken?" Junko asked.

"Yes," Yasuke replied. "The infirmary door's lock being broken...it makes me question if every lock in this school works as intended. I know all the dormitory room locks work fine, but besides those locks, every other lock in the school might be broken."

"Okay..." Junko said. "But, why are you worried about the locks not working? Some of the rooms don't matter to us. And what are you doing?"

"Doing an inventory check," Yasuke replied. "I need to make a list to keep track of every item in the infirmary. Some of the items in this room are dangerous if used as a weapon. It's just in case a murder happened. If we noticed that one of the items in the infirmary is missing, then we know where the culprit got the murder weapon from."

"Ah, I see," Junko said. "So you're taking steps to get ahead of any future culprit. Clever! You know, you carried everyone throughout that trial, Yasuke. You managed to figure out all the important questions related to that case. I'm impressed! For someone who is a doctor, you sure are good at solving mysteries."

Yasuke said nothing about the compliment he got. He continued to perform the inventory check on the infirmary. There weren't many items left to count, so he didn't take long with the task. He soon finished the task, leaving him with nothing left to do in the infirmary, assuming nobody gets seriously injured.

"Oh, you're done already?" Junko said. "That was fast. Hey, at least we have time to talk to each other. Mind if we do that?"

Yasuke paused for a moment as he looked at Junko. He then let out a reluctant sigh. "Sure..." he said. "What do you want to talk about...?"

Junko thought about a topic to talk about. "You know, we're supposed to be childhood friends, right?" she asked. "We know each other for years, ever since we were both young. Despite that, we know nothing about each other, other than the fact that we're childhood friends. Don't you find that kind of strange?"

Yasuke scratched his head for a moment. "Now that I think about it, it is strange that we've mostly forgotten about each other," he said. "Every time I tried to remember my childhood memories with you, I've found nothing. We're childhood friends, yet it feels like we've only just met each other. Why is that the case...?"

Junko tried to remember her childhood memories with Yasuke, but all she got was nothing. "Alright, how about we switch to a different topic?" she suggested. "Like, how did you become the Ultimate Neurologist? What made you chose to walk down that path?"

Yasuke was a bit stunned at the sudden switch in topic, but after a moment he settled on a response. He stared off into the distance as he told Junko his story. "When I was young, my mother was the only part of the family I have left," he said. "Unfortunately, that won't be the case for long. She was soon diagnosed with a terminal illness that caused her to forget who her son was. I watch as she descended into madness, helpless to prevent her from going further. It got to the point where I no longer saw her as my own mother. She soon died from her terminal illness, leaving me without a family."

"Your mother suffered from a terminal illness?" Junko asked. "And you had to watch her suffer? That's so sad! I feel bad for you, Yasuke. I don't remember even my own family. My best guess is that my parents died before I could remember them."

"So that's how you ended up in the same orphanage as me," Yasuke remarked. "Anyways, I grew bitter at the doctors who took care of my mother. I felt that they could've done a better job at saving my mother. Or at least, prolong her life and stop her from going further into madness. I felt that I could've done a better job than those doctors. If I were to handle a patient who has a brain disease, I would save them. I studied long and hard in medical and neurology from that point onward. After many years of study, I became the Ultimate Neurologist."

"Ah, so that's how you became the Ultimate Neurologist," Junko said. "You know, I've heard that many famous doctors before you saw people suffer from disease. Those doctors watched as the other doctors done a poor job at saving people, and felt like they could do the job better than them. Doctors today are, in general, much better at doing their jobs than doctors in the past."

"They really are," Yasuke remarked. "Medicine has gone a long way since the early days."

Junko nodded in agreement. Then she asked Yasuke more questions. "So after your mother died, do you have anyone else who supported you?" she asked.

Yasuke went silent for a moment as he tried to dig up as much of his memories as he can. "There's this girl that I've met once," he began. "She has long, red hair and red eyes. She supported me in my journey to become the Ultimate Neurologist. I don't know where she is now. I just hope that she's safe in the outside world."

"Yeah, I wonder where she went..." Junko muttered as she looked off in the distance. "Well, I'm glad that I'm here with you, Yasuke. We don't know much about the childhood we spent together, but I'm still willing to hang out with you."

Yasuke turned his gaze back on Junko. He formed a small smile on his face. "Yeah," he replied. "Sure."

Junko then looked back at Yasuke. "Hey, do you want to hang out with me?" she asked.

"Of course," Yasuke replied. "I don't have much left to do in this school...unless some idiot manages to injure themselves. I don't think we have much to do in this academy, so we'll just walk around."

"Oh, you just want to walk around?" Junko said. "I'm fine with that! But wait, don't you have the infirmary to look over?"

"I'm sure no one will steal anything from the infirmary," Yasuke said. "Hopefully nobody will try to plan another murder. Unless Monokuma gave us another motive..."

"Don't worry about that," Junko assured. "I'm sure we won't get another motive anytime soon. Now come on. Let's go walk around the school."

Yasuke and Junko then exited the infirmary and proceeded to walk around the school. No one else entered the infirmary that day.

* * *

**Day 8 - 2:00 PM  
Swimming Pool, First Floor**

Sakura decided to take a swim for the day, with her friend Hina serving as the lifeguard. Sakura decided to swim laps around the pool, testing how fast she could swim. To Hina's surprise, Sakura was fast in water. The martial artist swam around the pool much faster than Hina could ever achieve. However, this came at a downside. Sakura quickly tired herself out after only a few laps. She lasted in the water for only a fraction of the time Hina spent in the water. After tiring herself out, Sakura swam up to the side of the pool as Hina ran up to her.

"Wow, Sakura," Hina said in amazement. "That was great! You swam across the water much faster than I could ever dream of!"

"True..." Sakura said as she gasped for air. "But these arms and legs aren't built for swimming. They're more built for fighting."

"Well, you are the Ultimate Martial Artist after all," Hina replied. "It looks like you need a break from all that swimming. I can't believe you ran out of energy so fast. Just slow down a little next time, okay?"

"I promise," Sakura replied.

"Good," Hina said, nodding her head once. "Now get up from the pool. I'm going to get you a towel. Stay right there."

After a few moments, Hina and Sakura sat down at the side of the pool, dipping their feet into it. Sakura has a towel wrapped around her neck. The two girls enjoy some quiet time together as they stared off into the roof.

"Hina..." Sakura said, breaking the silence.

Hina looked over to Sakura. "What is it?" she asked.

"I've got a question," Sakura replied. "Do you play any sports besides swimming?"

"Of course I do!" Hina replied. "I'm an athlete. Swimming's my favorite sport, but I play all kinds of sports as well! I'm a part of six sports teams back at my old school."

Sakura was surprised to hear that from Hina. "That's...at lot of sports you're playing," she remarked. "You sure you can handle them all?"

Hina nodded. "Yeah, I can," she replied. "I love playing sports. I love the trills that come with them. It's been so long since I last played a sport. I'm so excited to get back to playing sports again!"

"I'm looking forward to playing with you, Hina," Sakura said. "Now that we have access to gym equipment, we can host some sports matches. I'll try my best to restrain myself from using my full strength. I feel like with my strength alone, my opponents won't stand a chance against me. In sports, it's not about winning, it's about the fight towards that victory."

"I agree with that!" Hina replied. "The best part of sports is the fight! It's why I want to work hard to get my victories. Winning can feel hallow if you don't have to work for it. That's why I don't cheat."

"Indeed..." Sakura said, nodding in agreement.

The two girls continued to spend time with each other when Hina started to look a little sad. Sakura turned her head towards Hina and noticed how somber she looks now.

"Hey, Hina?" Sakura asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"...You know, it's a shame that Leon didn't survive," Hina said, suddenly sounding drained. "He's an athlete like me. I really wanted to put my sports skills to the test against him. He looks like an interesting opponent to me. I wished that Leon would focus on me more instead of Sayaka. I feel like he's better off with another athlete instead of an idol..."

Sakura nodded, understanding why Hina is feeling so sad. "I get where you're coming from," she said. "You feel like Leon is focusing too much attention on something that he'll never get. It's what Celeste told him before he got executed. Makoto and Sayaka...these two have gotten close together within a few days. It got to the point where there's no way that anyone could separate them other than if one of them died. If Leon realized this soon, then he could've survived, at least for now."

"But even if Leon didn't realize this, he could've survived," Hina added. "If only Leon didn't shove Celeste out of the way of that ball at the last second. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know what's going on in Leon's mind when he did that," Sakura said. "If I had to guess, he felt so guilty over killing Hiro and being unable to win over Sayaka that he decided to throw his life away. He felt that if he survives the execution, he'll end up carrying that guilt for the rest of his life. That's my best guess."

Hina spent several moments grunting in pain. She tried her best to move on from one of her classmate's death. "Sakura...do you think Leon would fall in love with me?" she asked.

Sakura spent a few moments thinking about that possibility. "Of course," she said. "You said so yourself. You and Leon are both athletes. It's only natural that you two would fall for each other, is it not?"

Hina doubted that possibility. "I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Even if I'm the only option left for Leon, I don't think we could form a relationship..."

"Why is that?" Sakura asked. "Is there something you're worried about?"

"Sakura..." Hina began to ask. "...Am I really a woman?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow upon hearing that question. "Hmm?" she said. "What are you trying to say?"

"I mean...I've been playing sports for my entire life," Hina said. "I love playing sports, especially swimming. It's something that's a part of me. But...sports isn't something that a girl would usually go for. Because of this, people have told me that I'm not ladylike. I'm worried that if I can't express my feminine side, I will never find a boyfriend. As long as that remains an issue for me, Leon will never fall for me."

"Hina, I understand where you're coming from," Sakura said. "You feel that you can never find a boyfriend because you don't consider yourself to be feminine enough. However, that doesn't mean that you can't find a boyfriend. Take me for example. I'm the strongest woman in the world. Because of my time spent in martial arts, I wouldn't consider myself feminine. Despite this, I still found a boyfriend."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Hina said, recalling the conversation between Makoto and Sakura. "His name is Kenshiro, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Sakura replied. "Even though we considered each other to be rivals, even though I could never defeat him in a fight, we still fell in love with each other."

"It's a real shame that Kenshiro had to suffer from a disease he couldn't defeat..." Hina said. "He was so close to reaching the peak of his life..."

"This is an important lesson to be learned here, Hina," Sakura said. "You don't have to change yourself to get people to like you. It's okay to just be yourself. Some people like you just the way you are. You're an athlete, and some people like that part of you. As long as you continue to be that way, I'm sure you'll eventually find a boyfriend."

Hina let out another sigh in pain. "But...Leon is now gone," she said. "He's dead. I don't have many options left in this school. I'm not sure I'll ever find a boyfriend now..."

"Well, that's another problem," Sakura remarked. "Just don't worry about finding a boyfriend for now. As long as we have each other, we'll be fine."

"Sakura..." Hina said as she nearly teared up. She wiped away her tears before they could drop. "Thank you for being here with me."

"It's been a pleasure hanging out with you, Hina," Sakura replied.

Hina then rubbed her belly. It felt a little empty. "I'm so hungry..." she complained.

"Didn't you just eat lunch?" Sakura asked. "Dinner's coming up in a few hours. Are you sure you're hungry?"

"I could use a little snack..." Hina said.

Sakura stood up on her feet. She then took Hina and lifted her back on her feet. "Come on," she said. "Let's go to the kitchen and grab a snack. But first, let's return to the changing room and put on our normal clothing."

Hina slowly nodded, as if she's run out of energy. "Sure..." she said.

Hina and Sakura then exited the pool.

* * *

**Day 8 - 9:30 PM  
Living Area, First Floor**

Junko and Yasuke are done having their walks around the school. As nighttime began to fall upon the students, they went back to their rooms to sleep. As they passed the spa along the way, they began to notice some strange voices coming right out of the spa.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Junko asked.

"Hear what?" Yasuke replied.

"No, no," Junko said, asking Yasuke to remain quiet. "Have a listen."

Junko and Yasuke have a close listen to the voices coming out of the spa. It sounded like two boys are having a fight.

"Things...are really heating up in here. Mondo...are you sure you're ready to give up?"

"What? Hell no! No way I'm giving up now! And Taka...your face is all red. Are you sure you're giving up now?"

"Hey, I was born with a red face! I'm not giving up now! I'm going to outlast you!"

"No, I'm gonna outlast you! I'm gonna win this contest!"

Junko and Yasuke recognize those voices. They felt awkward hearing this happen.

"Is that...Kiyotaka and Mondo?" Junko asked.

"Sure sounds like them..." Yasuke sighed.

Junko and Yasuke stared at each other, looking embarrassed to hear voices coming out of the sauna.

"Junko...just stay out of the spa," Yasuke requested. "I'm heading in there to see what are Kiyotaka and Mondo doing in a sauna. Wait right here. I'll be back in a moment."

Junko stayed outside the spa as Yasuke headed in to investigate. As soon as he entered the spa, Yasuke immediately knocked on the door to the sauna. He had a feeling that's where Kiyotaka and Mondo are at.

"Hey!" Yasuke shouted as he knocked on the door. "Kiyotaka? Mondo? Are you two here?" He couldn't see into the sauna, but knew that Kiyotaka and Mondo are in the sauna.

"Oh? Dr. Yasuke?" Kiyotaka said from beyond the door. "Is that you?"

"Huh? The doctor's here?" Mondo asked. "What's he doing here?"

"I was about to ask that question to you two," Yasuke replied. "What are you two doing in the sauna? And why does it feel so hot when I'm standing near this door?"

"Oh, Mondo and I decided to have an endurance contest in the sauna," Kiyotaka explained. "We're going to see which of us can last the longest in the sauna! The first one to leave loses. I'm going to be the winner of this contest!"

"No, I will!" Mondo argued. "I'm going to be the winner! I"m going to outlast you!"

"No, it's going to be me!" Kiyotaka argued back.

"No, me!"

"No, me!"

"Ugh..." Yasuke groaned.

"Hey Yasuke?" Junko said from outside the spa. "Are you doing fine in there?"

Yasuke looked back at the entrance to the spa, seeing Junko standing there. "No, I'm not," he replied. "I'm just watching two idiots in a sauna doing a contest for some reason."

"Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Who are you calling an idiot? I'm not an idiot! I'm not an genius either, so don't call me a genius!"

"So that makes you average, right?" Mondo asked.

Yasuke put his hand on his head and shook his head, sighing with disapproval. "That makes little sense..." he said.

Kiyotaka then gets an idea. "Hey Dr. Yasuke," he said. "Since you're here and you're the resident doctor, why don't you be the judge?"

Yasuke is baffled by this decision. "W-What?!" he gasped. "Why me?"

"Why make him the judge?" Mondo asked. "We should invite him to join us! It's going to be so fun in this sauna with the three of us!"

Yasuke stared at the sauna door with a disapproving look for several seconds. "Hey, how long have you two been in this sauna?" he asked.

"What? How long?" Kiyotaka asked. "Um...I kind of forgot. But that doesn't matter. Me and Mondo are going to last in this sauna for as long as possible."

"Yeah!" Mondo roared. "I'm going to be the winner of this endurance contest!"

"No, the winner is going to be me!" Kiyotaka countered.

"Would you two just shut up already?" Yasuke shouted. "I don't care that this is a contest. You two probably shouldn't have stayed in the sauna for as long as possible. You're going to dry yourself if this keeps up! You two need to stop this ridiculous contest right now!"

"Nonsense!" Kiyotaka shouted. "If I leave this sauna, I'm going to lose this contest! I must stay here for as long as possible! I must resist the urge to leave!"

"Me too!" Mondo shouted. "I'm going to win this contest!"

"Me three!" Monokuma said from inside the sauna. Wait...what?

"Oh dear..." Yasuke said. "Not him again..."

"What the-?!" Kiyotaka gasped. "Monokuma? What are you doing here?"

"Q-Quit staring at us!" Mondo shouted. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Hey, are you saying that I have no business being in here?" Monokuma asked. "I'm very interest in what you kids are up to."

"D-Don't you dare call me a kid!" Mondo said threateningly. "And get the hell out of this sauna! Me and Taka are having an endurance contest in here!"

"Having an endurance contest?" Monokuma asked. "Are you having that? Or are you having some male bonding sessions?"

"It's not what it looks like!" Mondo shouted. "I'm telling ya! Me and Taka aren't doing that!"

Yasuke felt awkward standing in front of the sauna door listening to the commotion. He wished that he didn't find himself in this situation. It was already bad enough that he's witnessing two idiots pushing each other to the limits. Monokuma showing up made things even worse, both for him and to the two idiots inside the sauna.

"Hey, it's getting really hot in here," Monokuma remarked. "Is this what boy love really feels like? You know, I've heard that girl love is slippery when wet. Are you telling me that boy love is...spicy?"

"S-Shut the hell up!" Mondo roared. "That's not what we're doing! Get outta here! Leave us alone!"

"Eh? Are you sure you're not doing that?" Monokuma asked. "That's exactly what you two have been doing! Hey, didn't one or both of you said that baring it all builds relationships?"

"What?" Kiyotaka gasped. "Where did you hear that? Are you listening on us?"

"Oh yeah, I'm listening to you kids," Monokuma said. "Always listening. It looks like you two are already baring yourselves to each other. But you two aren't doing enough! You two are only wearing a towel! If you really want to form strong bonds, then why don't you take off that towel and-"

"Shut up!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Enough with your dirty jokes! I won't accept that kind of joke in a school environment! How many times must you make such dirty jokes?"

"Come on," Monokuma said. "Stop fighting your innermost desires. I know that deep down, you want this. Now why don't you two go ahead and take off that towel of yours? Don't resist, or else you'll get punished."

"N-No!" Kiyotaka screamed. "Don't! Stay away!"

"Get your dirty hands off us!" Mondo roared.

Yasuke could only imagine what could happen next in the sauna. He couldn't see it, but he had a feeling something's going on over there. He doesn't want to stay in the spa any longer than he has to.

"Yasuke?" Junko asked. "What's going on over there?"

Yasuke slowly turned his head towards Junko. "Junko..." he said. "...Let's get back to our rooms before I witness something I don't want to see." He then exited the spa and slowly walked back to his dorm room.

Junko watched as Yasuke walked passed her. He looked like he has seen something that he couldn't wipe away from his memory no matter how hard he tried. Junko wanted to enter the spa and investigate, but feared that she might accidentally stumble across something she isn't meant to see. With that in mind, Junko decided to return to her room to sleep for the night.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Good evening, everyone! This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun. Sleep tight, everyone. And don't let the bedbugs bite."

After the usual nighttime announcement is played, Kiyotaka and Mondo both exited the sauna at the same time and headed back to the changing room to change back to their regular clothes. They hung out just outside the spa for the next few minutes.

"Well, that didn't go as well as I expected," Kiyotaka said. "That Monokuma ruined our endurance contest!"

"If only that bear didn't show his stupid face," Mondo growled. "By the way, who won that contest? Who left the sauna last?"

"I can't say for sure," Kiyotaka replied. "We both left the sauna at the same time. I didn't see either of us exit the sauna first."

"So...we're both the winners of our endurance contest?" Mondo asked. "Or are we both the losers?"

"How about we declare this a draw for now?" Kiyotaka suggested. "You know, neither of us won or lost?"

Mondo raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked. "Then what's the point of our endurance contest? We've spent so long in that sauna. One of us should've won that! Ugh...Monokuma..."

"What's with that bear?" Kiyotaka asked. "Why is Monokuma try to get us to go up close and personal...with each other...?" His face then turned red from embarrassment. "Ah! Forget about it! Forget about what happened in that sauna! I don't want to think about it anymore!"

"What are you freaking out about?" Mondo asked. "All I did was-"

"Nope! Don't talk about it!" Kiyotaka shouted. "The sooner we forget about this, the better. Got it?"

"I got it..." Mondo said with a sigh. "So, what have we gained from our time in the sauna?"

Kiyotaka thought about that question for a moment. "...How about we just say that our manly bond just increased?" he suggested. "Is that correct?"

"...Well, you could phrase it that way," Mondo replied. "I'm quite surprised that the two of us managed to form such strong bonds in the first place. I'm someone who likes to break the rules, while you prefer to keep people in order. I can't imagine two people who are this different to form strong bonds, and yet here we are."

"It must be because we showed off our chests to each other," Kiyotaka remarked. "As well as...that."

"It feels like we're inseparable in this state," Mondo remarked. "Just like with Makoto and that blue haired chick."

"Oh, Makoto and Sayaka?" Kiyotaka replied. "Yeah, those two have become very close over the past few days. I wonder how they're doing now? How about we check up on them?"

"Nah, let's not do that," Mondo said. "It's nighttime now. They're probably asleep in their rooms."

"Ah! I see that Sayaka has fallen asleep even though there's a rotting corpse in her room!" Kiyotaka remarked.

Mondo gave Kiyotaka a disapproving look. "Bro..." he said. "Not cool."

"Anyways, now that you mentioned it, it's getting late in here," Kiyotaka said. "We should probably be back on our rooms by now..."

"So we're saying 'good night' to each other, then," Mondo said.

"Yes, of course!" Kiyotaka said. "Good night, Mondo! I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Mondo smiled at Kiyotaka. "Good night to you two, bro," he replied.

Kiyotaka and Mondo then returned to their rooms.

* * *

**Day 8 - Unknown Time**   
**Unknown Location**

"Dr. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist...he's the one who started this project. The Neo World Program...one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Hope's Peak Academy. It's a program that places the user is a simulated reality, where they can live their lives as if they're in the real world. It has the potential to be the one of the most dangerous programs ever created by human hands. But at the same time, it could also be a lifesaver."

"..."

"The project kept a secret to everyone except for those who worked on it. Because of it's potential, it is important that the program remains a secret to the outside world. If this gets into the wrong hands, they'll be able to do terrible things with it. We can't afford to see this technology fall into the wrong hands. As a result, we are forced to keep our mouths shut about the project, never revealing any details about it. If we're caught revealing details to others, then we'll not be allowed to work on the project ever again."

"..."

"The goal of this project was to achieve the one thing Dr. Yasuke Matsuda dreamed of seeing happening: the ability to manipulate memory. He knows from experience and research how the human mind creates and recalls memories. He wanted to unlock the parts of the brain that are responsible for memories, and to control what memories are stored in the brain. The Neo World Program has the abilities to create false memories and implant them into the mind. It also has the ability to delete or suppress unwanted memories from the mind."

"..."

"The Neo World Program has the potential to be a powerful medical tool. With this program, medical professionals can now explore the minds of their patients and see what goes on inside their heads. They can see and locate the sources of mental distress in their patients and help eliminate them. They can place their patients in a simulated reality and see how they act in curtain scenarios. This program can do things never before seen in medical history. It will start a medical revolution and lead to more revolutionary programs."

"..."

"But Dr. Yasuke feared that if this technology ever fell into the wrong hands, they might do terrible things with it. For instance, they must use this to suppress or delete a victim's important memories. The purpose of this is to free the patient from any mental distress caused by past trauma. But this can also be used to wipe someone's mind clean of all their memories. I feared that's exactly what happened to my classmates in this school. Everyone forgot the days they've spent in this school. Not even the doctor who created this project was safe..."


	13. Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair (Daily Life 3)

**Day 9 - 7:00 AM  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Another day arrives, and with it comes another morning announcement. Makoto and Sayaka woke up from their sleep as soon as they heard the morning announcement. The first thing they saw when the open their eyes was each other. They've been sleeping with each other on the same bed for a few days at this point. It was uncomfortable for them at first, what with the limited space on the bed, but they quickly got used to it. There was something about sleeping with each other that felt...comforting.

The first thing Makoto did after waking up was checking in on Sayaka. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. And then, for the first time in a few days, Sayaka smiled. It was a weak smile, and the rest of her face still showed signs of anxiousness, but it was a smile nonetheless. Makoto took this as a sign that Sayaka is making progress towards recovery, though the signs of feeling anxious meant that she still had a long way to go before making a full recovery. Perhaps she needed a few more days at his side.

...

But now is not the time to just stare at each other for a a few moments. Makoto and Sayaka needed to start their day right now. Things are feeling boring for them for the past few days. They figured it's because they weren't doing much other than stay in this room together. It's time to do something for once. They began thinking about going to the library to read some books. There has to be something up there for them to read.

With their day planned out, Makoto and Sayaka walked towards the door. Makoto grabbed the doorknob and opened the door...and was met with another surprise. Seriously, why does this keep happening, Makoto thought. Surprisingly, Makoto wasn't the one who was caught off guard; it was the person right outside the door.

"Whoa!" Kiyotaka gasped. "Makoto! Sayaka! I didn't expect to see you two coming from the same room!"

Makoto and Sayaka looked confused for a moment. "Uh..." Makoto said. "...Good morning, Kiyotaka?"

Kiyotaka realized that he hasn't given a proper greeting. "Aw...not this again!" he said. "How many times to I have to miss the morning greeting?"

"Look, just don't cry over it too much, okay?" Makoto said. "Just explain to us what are you doing here, standing outside my room door."

Kiyotaka then pointed at Sayaka. "Sayaka, what are you doing in Makoto's room?" he asked, sounding like he's demanding an answer. "I thought you were supposed to be in your own room! I was standing in front of your door ringing that doorbell over and over again! No matter how many times I tried, you wouldn't respond!"

Sayaka whimpered and hid behind Makoto.

"Look, Kiyotaka," Makoto began to explain. "After the first trial, Sayaka asked me if she could sleep in my room, sharing the bed with me. I said yes."

Kiyotaka growled in frustration. "Sayaka, why won't you sleep in your own room?" he asked. "I mean, your room must've been perfectly fine, other than the rotting corpse in your room. And all the damage that your room got."

"...The corpse is no longer there, Kiyotaka," Makoto corrected. "Hiro's body has vanished without a trace. On top of that, all the scratches on the walls and furniture...it's been repaired as if nothing had happened. In fact, there were no signs of the murder left."

"Nonsense," Kiyotaka said in denial. "There's no way anyone can get rid of a body that easily, or repair the walls and furniture that easily. Even though her room is a mess, Sayaka can still sleep in it, right?"

Makoto turned around and looked behind him at Sayaka. They silently reached an agreement. Sayaka then came out from behind Makoto, exited the room, and walked up to her room door. Then she took out her room keys, unlocked the door, and opened it up. Kiyotaka then took a peek inside Sayaka's room and saw that all traces of the murder had been erased. There was no body to be found. There were no stretches left on the walls. The room had returned to a previous state, one where no murders had taken place.

"Do you see it now?" Makoto asked Kiyotaka. "Hiro is gone. His body is no longer there. Sayaka's room has been cleaned up. Are you getting this now?"

Kiyotaka spent several moments in a stunned silence. The truth has reached him now. After seeing the truth for himself, Kiyotaka snapped himself out of a trance.

"Ah, I see," Kiyotaka said. "Sayaka's room has returned to normal. It's almost as if nothing had ever happened in that room. That's so strange. But still! There's no rotting corpse to be found in her room! Sayaka can sleep in her room without having to worry about anything! So why is she still sleeping with you in your own room, Makoto? Why did you let her do that?"

"Kiyotaka..." Makoto tried to explain, only to get interrupted.

"To think...a boy and a girl sharing a room together?" Kiyotaka muttered. "I can't allow that to continue! If a boy and a girl sleep together long enough, they might get intimate together. I won't allow that level of intimacy in a school environment! Ever! Not for as long as I live!"

Makoto and Sayaka stared at Kiyotaka for a few moments, wondering if he's starting to get a little crazy.

"Kiyotaka, let's not focus on that any longer," Makoto said. "I promise, me and Sayaka haven't done anything...intimate with each other."

"You sure about that?" Kiyotaka said, doubting Makoto. "You and Sayaka could've done something to each other in the middle of the night. You two could've bared yourselves in front of each other!"

Sayaka cringed as her face turned red in embarrassment. She swore that she haven't done anything intimate with Makoto in the few nights that she slept with him, but the thought of it freaked her out. She wished that she never got to think about that ever again.

Makoto is starting to get tired of Kiyotaka accusing him and Sayaka of doing intimate things. "Kiyotaka..." he said, letting out a sigh afterwards. "I don't want to talk about that anymore, so let's stop right. For now, I have a question to ask you: what are you doing outside my room?"

Kiyotaka realized that he might've sidetracked a bit too much. "My apologies!" he said. "It seems that I have distracted myself with unnecessary topics. I'm sorry for accusing you and Sayaka for doing something you two never did. Very well! I will explain my presence here. We are having a volleyball tournament in the gym!"

"A...volleyball tournament?" Makoto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, indeed!" Kiyotaka replied. "We're about to have some fun in the gym. After everyone has finished breakfast, we will change into our gym clothes and play volleyball in the gym. It's going to be fun, I promise you! Are you in?"

Kiyotaka looked at Makoto and Sayaka, expecting to hear a response from them. He only got silence.

"Come on, you two!" Kiyotaka said. "Just say something already! Do you have any idea why I planned this event? We're all bored in this school. If we don't have anything to do in this school, we might try to cause trouble. And if we cause trouble, we might end up killing someone. I will not allow another death in this school! You hear me?"

Makoto and Sayaka are still silent. They just continue to stare at Kiyotaka wondering why he's hosting a volleyball tournament.

"Hey, are you two in or not?" Kiyotaka asked. "Just say something!"

Finally, Makoto said something. "Sorry, but I'm not playing," he said. "And neither is Sayaka."

Kiyotaka appeared to be shocked by this. "What?" he said. "But...why? Why won't you play with us?"

"To be honest, I'm not what you would call athletic," Makoto explained. "I don't perform well in most sports, even if I tried my best. I have a scrawny build, so if I compete, I'll end up being crushed by the much stronger competition. I don't find constantly losing to be fun, so I'll just sit out and watch the rest of you guys play. As for Sayaka, I don't think she's ready to play with you guys. She needs more time to recover."

"Hmm...I see," Kiyotaka replied. "Well, I wouldn't worry about losing too much. We're just doing this for fun! Everyone is starting to get bored. How about we get rid of that boredom?"

"Hey Kiyotaka," Makoto said, "is the volleyball field ready yet?"

Kiyotaka was stunned into silence when he realized something. "...I forgot about that!" he said. "The gym isn't set up for volleyball just yet. I should've gotten someone to do that earlier." He then gets an idea. "Okay then. Makoto, you and Sayaka set up the field for volleyball. Meanwhile, I'll inform everyone on what's going on."

Makoto and Sayaka are shocked to find that they're responsible for setting up the field. They can't believe that they have to do this. They also realized that they have no idea where the sports equipment are.

"Wait, Kiyotaka," Makoto said. "Before you go, I have a question. Where's the equipment?"

"Oh? You mean the sports equipment?" Kiyotaka asked. "I'm way ahead of you, Makoto! I woke up early and got the idea of holding a sports tournament. I then headed to the storage room to find out which sport we're playing. I found two poles, a net, and a box full of volleyballs. That's how I got the idea of hosting a volleyball tournament."

"So, the equipment's in the storage room," Makoto said. "Okay... But why is the sports equipment in the storage room? Why isn't it closer to the gym?"

"Stop asking these questions and set up the gym already!" Kiyotaka shouted. "The tournament is starting in a few hours, and we've wasted enough time already! Now get to it!" After giving his orders, Kiyotaka moved on to another room and rang the doorbell.

Makoto and Sayaka are still confused about what's going on. They still don't get why Kiyotaka wanted to host a volleyball tournament in the first place. They already knew that the purpose of the tournament is to alleviate everyone's boredom, but is there any other reason? Kiyotaka is currently too busy to answer to any questions they might have, so Makoto and Sayaka decided to go ahead and get the gym up for volleyball. They headed out to the storage room to grab the necessary equipment.

* * *

**Day 9 - 7:30 AM  
Gym, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka are just about to finish setting up the gym for a volleyball tournament. They got the two poles, the net, and a volleyball ready to be used. Once they finished setting up the playing field, they went to the seats and sat down next to each other.

"Phew," Makoto said as he took in a few breaths. "That was easier than I thought."

"Thank goodness they put wheels on those poles..." Sayaka said.

"Dragging those poles into the gym took us quite a while," Makoto remarked. "Why are the sports equipment placed in a storage room that's far away from the gym? Why doesn't this gym have it's own storage room? Who designed this school?"

"I have no clue..." Sayaka replied.

"Sayaka, I wasn't looking for an answer to that question," Makoto said. "Still, it's strange design choices like this that makes me wonder if we're really in Hope's Peak Academy. This school is supposed to be the most prestigious school in the world. I expect the main school building itself to be huge. And yet, this school feels small. We could probably get from one side of the school to the other in a minute."

"Is Hope's Peak Academy really that small?" Sayaka asked. "We are the only students that attend it after all..."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Makoto replied. "We found four classrooms across the two floors, and there's only 16 students attending this school. Well, there used to be 16. Now it's just the 14 of us living in this school. Still, that's way too many classrooms for a small number of students. Each of those classrooms is big enough to hold an entire class. Who knows how many students could potentially attend this school."

Sayaka scratched her head for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't call Hope's Peak Academy big or small," she said. "I think the better word to describe it would be...empty."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

Sayaka stared off at the opposite wall, looking at the giant metal plates that cover it. She took a deep sigh. "This school...Hope's Peak Academy..." she began. "It sometimes feel so dead and lifeless. There's not much activity in this school. It's just us walking around doing nothing."

"I guess this is how things have been going lately," Makoto said. "We've run out of things to do in this school. Soon, we'll end up becoming bored with our live in this school. Even if new areas open up, it'll still not solve this problem. We'll have fun with the new things to do for a short time, and then we'll go back to being bored. I guess...Kiyotaka has a point about hosting events to keep us from getting bored. If we spend too much time bored, we might find other ways to get rid of that boredom. We might start trouble. We also might..." He paused for a moment as strange images began to fill his mind. He shook his head to get rid of those images. "Never mind. I rather not think about it anymore."

Sayaka then tilted her head down. A frown formed of her face as she looked back at the times that she felt the way she currently is.

"Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Is there something wrong?"

Sayaka let out a heavy sigh. "Makoto...this isn't the first time that I felt this way," she said. "This isn't the first time that I felt so...hallow."

"So...you've experienced this before?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah..." Sayaka replied as she nodded. "Although I am used to this feeling, it still remains painful for me to go through this. This feeling...it often strikes me without warning. I often spent long days feeling so hallow. When I feel so hallow, I lost all motivation to do...anything. This often gets in the way of my work. Several of my concerts had to be delayed or canceled because of it.

"I see..." Makoto commented. "So that explains why some of your concerts were delayed or canceled. I didn't expect the behind the scenes action to be like this."

"That's not all..." Sayaka said. "This hallow feeling...it was at its worst last year, during my first year of high school. It was the first year that I no longer had a chance to see you...at least, not until we got into Hope's Peak Academy. Things were awful for me that year. It got so bad that it put my career at risk of being ruined."

Makoto gasped upon hearing that. "My goodness!" he gasped. "I-I didn't know that about you. I'm surprised to see that you managed to not only maintain your career last year, but also got invited into Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Idol. Honestly, I'm impressed. But...that's got to be something that you should get help up. Did you receive any help?"

"No..." Sayaka said, shaking her head. "Not at all. My agency...they denied me the help that I desperately need. They said that if I'm ever caught receiving help, then it would destroy my pure image and take my career with it. I never got the chance to say this to anyone, but I'm so disgusted by their actions. I wished that my agency would give me, their young superstar, the help that I needed. If they did that, then I wouldn't have to suffer from this hallow feeling anymore. My career wouldn't be at risk of collapsing, and I would probably be even more of an inspiration to people around the world. But no. My agency instead suggested that I should shake these feelings off and pretend that it doesn't exist. Unfortunately, you can't fix problems by ignoring them..."

Makoto stared off into the opposite wall, thinking about his sister. Komaru...she was a huge fan of Sayaka, even more so than himself. He began to wonder how she would react if she heard that her favorite idol wasn't as perfect as she thinks. He let out a sigh.

"You know, Sayaka," Makoto said, "if my sister ever heard that from you, she would most likely be shocked by this. Her image of you would be shattered. But then, she would cheer for you even more. She would want you to find help and have this problem of yours be fixed. If this happens, then you'll not only become just an idol who climbed her way to the top, but an idol who fought with her personal struggles on the way to the top. Doesn't that make for an idol that would remain famous long after she retires?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah, I agree," she said. "Speaking of your sister, how's the rest of your family?"

"My family?" Makoto replied as he turned his head towards Sayaka. "Well, to be honest, I haven't been seeing my family for quite some time. It's been a while since I last saw them. I wonder how they're doing out there, in the outside world."

"I don't know..." Sayaka replied. "I hope that they're doing fine. I would love to see your sister again, Makoto."

"Me too," Makoto said. "What about your family, Sayaka? What about your friends? Are they fine as well?"

"Family..." Sayaka began. "Friends..." She thought long and hard about that topic. "...I haven't seen my father in a while. And my friends, the rest of my idol group, I haven't seen them in a while either. I don't know how they're doing in the outside world. I can only hope that they're still okay..."

"Do you like your your friends?" Makoto asked.

"Of course I do," Sayaka replied. "We wouldn't be friends otherwise. But now I'm starting to question my friendships within my idol group. The last time I remember seeing them, there were negotiations about making me a solo idol, while the rest of my friends remained an idol group. I'm way more popular and recognizable than the rest of my idol group. I understand why my agency would do that. It makes the rest of my idol group shine of their own, instead of having me overshadow the rest of them."

"Are they doing okay right now?" Makoto asked again.

"I don't know," Sayaka replied. "Like I said earlier, I haven't seen them in a while. I just hoped that they're doing okay without me." She then stopped and froze upon realizing something. "M-My career..."

"Huh?" Makoto said. "What's wrong?"

Sayaka slumped over with a defeated sigh. "My career...it's been ruined..." she said.

"Ruined?!" Makoto gasped. "How?" He then realized why Sayaka thinks her career has been ruined. "Oh...I see. So...how long has it been since your last concert?"

Sayaka lifted herself up and faced Makoto. A few tears are dripping out of her eyes. "I-I lost count..." she replied. "It's been so long since I last held a concert. My fans...my millions of fans...they probably have forgotten about me by now. And...and..." She couldn't bring herself to speak anymore. She snuffled up and threw herself into Makoto, crying into his chest once again.

"Sayaka...you've worked so hard to become the Ultimate Idol," Makoto said as he comforted Sayaka. "You've worked for years to reach this point. I know that you have invested a lot into your career. So why is your reaction to your career being ruined is so...tame?"

Sayaka continued to shed tears as she struggled to bring out her words. "My idol career..." she said. "...It doesn't matter to me anymore."

"Your career doesn't matter to you anymore?" Makoto asked with a shocked reaction.

Sayaka pulled herself away from Makoto and stared at his face. "I've been stuck in this school for too long," she said. "My agency warned my that if I don't constantly work, then I risk losing my top spot. I had a feeling that's what exactly what happened. In my absence, some other idol will have come from behind me and take that top spot away from me. The idol industry...it's nothing like the ideal world everyone imagines. It's a ruthless world where one mistake doom an entire career. Remember that analogy I've told you earlier?"

Makoto tried to recall what Sayaka is referring to. He has learned a lot about her in the past few days, more than anyone should be comfortable with. Makoto looked back at his conversations with Sayaka, searching for the words that describe what she is thinking right now. He couldn't remember the exact words, but he did find the general idea. He simply looked at Sayaka and nodded.

"Yeah...I remember too," Sayaka said. "Thing is, I found that I value you more than my entire career, more than all my fans combined."

Makoto was surprised to hear this. "You think so?" he asked.

Sayaka nodded in response. "Makoto...you're the only one who can bring me the one thing that I need in my life," she said. "It's the one thing that my fans could never bring to me, no matter how hard they try. Fans...they're a difficult group to hold on to. Once you've gained fame, it's hard to maintain it. You have to prove time and time again that you are worthy of that praise. If you make even a single mistake, then all but the most dedicated of fans will turn on you. And if you don't maintain that fame, your fans will search for something to replace you. That's already bad enough for most celebrities, but it's even worse for idols. For most idols, it doesn't matter how famous you are. The world will get tired of you, and once that happens, your fans will find someone to replace you."

"Sayaka, I understand what you're trying to say," Makoto said. "You've really opened my eyes to the inner workings of the idol industries. I feel bad for everyone, especially those aspiring girls, who tried their best to achieve fame, only to be tossed aside and be replaced by someone younger. I'm impressed that you managed to even become the Ultimate Idol. But can we slow down and take a step back for a moment? I'm just wondering about something. What was the thing you said that I can bring to you, but no one else can?"

Sayaka grew nervous for a moment. She thought long and hard about what she's about to say next. "Makoto..." she began. "I know that I shouldn't be doing this. My agency...they mandated that I never do this, or else my career will risk being ruined. But I...I refuse to listen to them. I-I just...I just wanted..." She broke down into tears. "Makoto...are you...okay with hearing this?"

"Hear what?" Makoto asked. "What do you want to say to me?"

"Makoto...I..." Sayaka said, trying her best to speak out. "I...I..." But no matter how hard she tried, Sayaka couldn't bring herself to say it. She threw herself into Makoto's chest again and cried into it. "I-I can't! I-I just...I just can't say it!"

It sounded like Sayaka wanted to confess something to Makoto. Makoto wondered what Sayaka is trying to confess about. He had a feeling Sayaka is about to say *that* to him. If he hears that from her, it could change the way he sees their relationship. He began to wonder how Sayaka really sees him from the bottom of her heart. Could she see him as more than just a friend? It is the same for the other way around, that he sees Sayaka as more than just a friend and idol? Who knows. They've only knew each other for only a few days at this point, yet it felt like they knew each other for way longer than that. Could they have interacted way before coming into Hope's Peak, all the way back at middle school?

Makoto shook his head, denying that thought. No, there's no way that Sayaka and him could be friends way back during middle school. As far as he knows, he and Sayaka never interacted during their three years in middle school. They closest they ever got prior to attending Hope's Peak Academy was just them looking at each other. That's it. Still, Makoto began to wonder if there's a deeper reason why he and Sayaka became fast friends. Is there something that they're missing?

Makoto shook all of these thoughts out of his head. _Now's not the time to be thinking about that_ , he thought. _For now, I must focus on comforting Sayaka._ And that's what he did for the next several minutes.

...

"...I'm so hungry..." Sayaka complained.

"Oh...right," Makoto said. "We haven't eaten breakfast yet. Fine. Let's get to the dining room and have our breakfast. Sound good?"

Sayaka silently nodded.

"Okay," Makoto replied. "Let's go."

Makoto and Sayaka got up from the seats and walked to the dining room.

* * *

**Day 9 - 9:00 AM  
Gym, First Floor**

After everyone finished their breakfast, Kiyotaka ordered everyone to go to the locker rooms to change into their gym clothes. The gym clothes of Hope's Peak Academy are pretty basic. They're just a white t-shirt and blue shorts. After changing into their gym clothes, everyone gathered in the gym where a volleyball court is set up.

Of course, not everyone changed into their gym clothes. Makoto and Sayaka have decided earlier that they're not going to participate, so they remained in their regular clothes and watch the game from the seats. Byakuya also refused to participate, apparently unwilling to play some sports. As expected, there are several students who are currently absent from the gym. Toko still hasn't gotten out of her room, no matter how much Kiyotaka tried to get her out. Everyone began to worry about Toko starving in her own room, as she is not seen entering the dining room. Then again, she might've grabbed a bite while no one's watching, or Monokuma brought her some food. Nobody is really sure. As for Celeste and Natsumi...Kiyotaka didn't bother inviting them to the gym. He didn't invite Natsumi because he couldn't stand her, and he didn't invite Celeste because someone requested that she didn't get invited.

Before the tournament could begin, there were a few more questions about the tournament.

"So...how does this thing work?" Hina asked.

"It's quite easy to understand," Kiyotaka said. "We'll each pair up with another student and compete together for the the top. Each team will be put in a match against every other team, and the team with the most wins is declared the winner. That's all you need to know about this tournament. See, I told you it's easy to understand. Now, with that out of the way, let's pair up and make teams. I'm pairing up with my bro Mondo!"

"Hell ya!" Mondo said, throwing a thumbs up.

Byakuya glared at Kiyotaka and Mondo. "...Bro?" he said. "What does that mean? Don't tell me you two are related."

Kiyotaka and Mondo stared back at Byakuya for a moment.

"What? You don't know what bro means?" Mondo said. "It's just another way of saying we're close friends."

Byakuya continued to stare at Kiyotaka and Mondo before turning his gaze away from them. He refused to speak another word after that.

As soon as Kiyotaka told the students to form teams, Hina approached Sakura.

"Sakura...mind if we make a team?" Hina suggested.

"I don't see a reason not for form a time with you, Hina," Sakura replied. And so, Hina and Sakura formed a team.

Junko immediately wrapped her arms around Yasuke from behind. "Hey, Yasuke!" she called, catching the doctor's attention. "Can we form a team? I wanna play with you! Pretty please?"

Yasuke looked back at Junko and let out a reluctant sigh. "...Sure," he bluntly replied.

"Yeah!" Junko cheered.

Hifumi slowly approached Kyoko, who's standing far away from everyone else. "Hey...you're available, Miss Kyoko Kirigiri," he said. "Mind if you form a team with me?"

Kyoko refused to say a word.

Hifumi tried again. "Well, if you don't want to play with me," he continued, "you can also pair up with Mr. Byakuya Togami. Have you ever thought of-"

"No," Kyoko bluntly replied.

Hifumi slumped over in disappointment.

Kiyotaka sees that there are three teams that are registered in the tournament. "Let's see here..." he said. "...That's it? That's all?" He felt like that's still too few teams that are participating. If only Makoto and Sayaka had decided to play this tournament as well. They look like they could form a team together. He looked around the gym, looking for potential teams. "Hey, I need more teams to register! We can't have a proper tournament with just three teams! Would two more students please pair up? I want to get this tournament started!"

Right when Kiyotaka was trying to look for a fourth team to form, the doors to the gym open up and a new student enters through it. This student looks nothing like anyone everyone has seen so far. All eyes are drawn to this student as the new student enters the gym. For some odd reason, there was something about this student that seemed familiar to them.

"Oh...hi there," Kiyotaka said, looking confused. "You must be the new student, right?"

The new student, who is a girl, just looked around the room wondering what's going on. "Huh," she said. "So this is what you've been up to." Her voice sounded familiar to most of the students.

Before anyone could guess who this not-so-new student is, Hifumi let out a gasp.

"Celeste?!" Hifumi gasped. "Is that really you?"

Celeste turned her head towards Hifumi. "I see that you have recognized me," she said. "Why yes, I am Celeste. Couldn't it be any more obvious?"

"There's no mistaking it," Hifumi said. "It really is you!" He then ran up to Celeste and take a look at her new appearance.

Everyone stared at Hifumi as he began to express...odd behaviors.

"Uh...since when has Hifumi acted this way around Celeste?" Kiyotaka asked. "He was indifferent towards Celeste before, but now he's changed into...this! What happened to him?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have allowed Hifumi to feed Celeste," Yasuke said. "If you didn't do that, then he wouldn't get many opportunities to hang around her."

Kiyotaka was stunned into silence for a moment. Then he knocked himself on the head. "Dang it!" he said. He nearly fell down from knocking himself on the head, only to be caught by Mondo.

Byakuya stared at Hifumi for a moment and grew disgusted by his behavior. "I can't believe this round pig is acting like that pest," he said.

Hifumi continued to look at Celeste and couldn't help but notice a few slight differences. "Hey Celeste, what happened to your hair?" he asked. "It used to be...how should I put it? Really big and tied up into two drills? Yeah, that sounds about right. So, where did the rest of your hair go, Celeste?"

Celeste looked off to the side. "...I refuse to say anything about that," she said.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Hifumi said. "I'm just wondering how you changed your looks. Anyways, would you like to be my partner? We're having a volleyball tournament!"

"Volleyball, is it?" Celeste said. "This isn't the sport that I was hoping for but...oh well. I will join your team, Hifumi."

"Yes!" Hifumi cheered. He then ran up to Kiyotaka. "Alright, me and Celeste are playing!"

"Oh, you two would like to play as well?" Kiyotaka asked. "Good! We now have four teams, which means that we can officially start our tournament!"

"Wait, hold on a second," Hina said. "Shouldn't we do a elimination style tournament where the loser doesn't get to participate anymore?"

Kiyotaka stopped and think about the idea for a moment. "That sounds like a great idea!" he said. "Alright, everyone! We're now having an elimination tournament! The winners of the first compete each other for the top spot, while the losers compete each other for third place. There! That's the tournament! We're happy now?"

"...That's not what I was thinking," Hina said.

"Look, we have wasted enough time already," Kiyotaka said. "Let's start the tournament now!"

Before anyone could say another word, the volleyball tournament begins with the first match. For the first match, Kiyotaka and Mondo are competing against Hina and Sakura. Each team stands on opposite sides of the playing field. Once everything is set up, the first match begins. Each match lasts for five minutes, and whoever scores the most points when the match ends is declared the winner.

The first match was entertaining for the spectators, with both sides doing their best to win. Both teams have scored at least two points over the course of the match. The match appears to be a close one, but Hina and Sakura managed to get ahead of Kiyotaka and Mondo, ending the first match with their victory.

"We did it, Sakura!" Hina cheered. "We won!"

"As I expected," Sakura said. "That match was a close one for both teams, but in the end, we became the victors."

"I can't wait to compete against the winner of the next match!" Hina said. "This sounds exciting!"

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the court, Kiyotaka and Mondo are disappointed about their loss.

"Aw man!" Kiyotaka cried as he went to his knees. "I was expecting to win this match! I can't believe I lost!"

Mondo went down to Kiyotaka to comfort him. "Hey, don't cry about it, bro," he said. "It's just a game. And besides, those chicks over there are really tough to beat. We stood no chance against them."

Kiyotaka lifted his head up, changing his face to a more determined look. "It's not over yet!" he said. "We can still pull a victory out of this! If we could win against the loser of the next match, we could at least come out of this tournament with some victory."

"Hey, when's it our turn?" Junko asked. "Me and Yasuke are up next, right?"

Kiyotaka stood up and looked towards the two teams that haven't competed yet. "Alright, we'd better get this tournament going," he said. "Junko, Dr. Yasuke, you two are up against Hifumi and Celeste!"

Yasuke took a look at Hifumi and Celeste. He has a good idea about how the next match will go. "I'm going to be so surprised if Hifumi managed to win," he said.

Indeed, the next match went exactly how Yasuke expected it to go. Hifumi tripped and fell over multiple times over the course of the match, struggling to get back on his feet each and every time. He has a hard time preventing the ball from landing on his side of the court. Every time he fell, someone came in, usually Sakura, to lift him back on his feet. However, Hifumi usually trips over again shortly after getting back on his feet, starting the cycle all over again. As a result, it often came down to Celeste to prevent the opposing team from scoring. And since she's effectively competing against two opponents, she and Hifumi ended up losing...by not scoring any points at all.

"Yeah, we won!" Junko cheered. "Aren't you happy, Yasuke?"

Yasuke let out an apathetic sigh. He didn't say anything to Junko. Even though his team won, he didn't feel like he has to work hard to win. His team easily defeated Hifumi and Celeste, but that's only because Hifumi was a huge liability. It doesn't look like a fair match in his eyes.

Angry about her loss, Celeste stomped up to Hifumi, who is currently on the floor again. Hifumi looked up to Celeste and grinned sheepishly.

"...I expected my own luck to carry me to victory," Celeste said. "Unfortunately, you appear to have dragged me down. I shouldn't have accepted your invitation."

"Well...at least we played together," Hifumi said. "Is that what matters now?"

Celeste gave Hifumi a disapproving look before walking away from him.

"Hey! Wait!" Hifumi shouted as he struggled to get back on his feet. "Could you at least lift this miserable pile of secrets back up? Please? I can't get up all by myself!"

Needless to say, Celeste didn't bother to lift Hifumi back up. Sakura then came in to lift Hifumi back on his feet before escorting him out of the court.

Unfortunately, Hifumi and Celeste found themselves right back on the court as they're called in to compete against Kiyotaka and Mondo. They're going to compete for third place in the tournament. As everyone expected, Hifumi had a lot of trouble staying on his feet, falling over several more times over the course of the match. This time, nobody bothered to lift Hifumi back up, leaving Celeste all on her own. Celeste did try her best to win, expecting the opposing team to be unlucky and trip over like Hifumi did. Unfortunately, her luck wasn't enough to change the tide of the match. Kiyotaka and Mondo did trip a few times, but they were able to get themselves back on their feet. This meant that she and Hifumi lost again.

"That was...interesting," Kiyotaka said. "I was expecting more of a challenge."

"Yeah..." Mondo replied. "I thought we're going to lose that one. What a shitty team..."

"Well...at least we won," Kiyotaka said. "That's something, right?"

Mondo grumbled for a few moments. "...Let's move on to the next match," he said.

The final match of the tournament then begins. The winners of the first two rounds will be competing against each other. Whoever wins this match will be declared the champion of the tournament. Hina and Sakura stood on one side of the court, while Junko and Yasuke stood on the other side. Being both athletes, it appears that Hina and Sakura will be the victors of this match. However, there is a chance that Junko and Yasuke might win instead. Everyone is excited to see how this match will go.

The two teams passed the ball back and forth across the court. Both teams have scored one point, but the match is only one minute and thirty seconds in. The score could change over the remainder of the match.

Two minutes in, Yasuke bumped the ball close to the net, setting the ball up for Junko. Junko then ran up to the ball and jumped into it, ready to slam it down on Hina and Sakura's side of the court.

"Bullseye!" Junko called as she slammed the ball with the palm of her hand.

The ball is sent far from Hina and Sakura. The two girls couldn't run up to the ball and prevent it from landing on their side of the court. It looks like this could be a point for Junko and Yasuke. Junko looked so excited to see the ball land. Right before the ball could touch the floor, though, it got impaled by a sharp claw that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Everyone gasped when they saw the ball got impaled, but they gasped even more when they saw who impaled the ball.

"Whoops!" Monokuma said. "I tried to hit this ball, but I forgot that I had my claws out. My bad!" He then giggled at his "mistake".

"Monokuma!" Yasuke said.

"What did you do?" Junko cried, shocked that her team was denied a point. "I was about to score for my team! How could you do this to us?"

Monokuma then tossed the ruined ball out of the court. "I'm sorry to ruin your fun, but I have a special announcement for you guys!" he said. "Hmm...it appears that there are a few students missing in this gym. Oh well! I'll just make them catch up later." He then jumped and landed on the stage.

Kiyotaka stepped up to Monokuma. "Hey, we're having a volleyball tournament here!" he shouted. "You have no right to interrupt this! Now stay out of our sights and let us finish this tournament!"

"Eh? Finish this tournament?" Monokuma asked. "I'm sorry to say it, but fun time's over, kids! It's time to bring out another motive for you kids! That's right, I'm giving you a new motive to kill someone and graduate this school."

"Oh yeah?" Yasuke said. "What is it? What motive are you bringing to us?"

"Phuhuhu," Monokuma said. "Well doctor, I'm giving out this new motive in an interesting way. I'm sending you your new motives directly to your E-Handbooks! Here it is! Pull out your E-Handbooks and take a look at your personal message. Here comes the notification!" He then clapped his paws.

...

...Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Kiyotaka said with a confused look. "What happened? What's supposed to happen?"

Everyone looked around the gym, trying to figure out what Monokuma is expecting to see happen. They couldn't find anything different in the gym, other than Makoto and Sayaka. The two appear to have pulled out their E-Handbooks and took a look at them. They gasped upon seeing something, but nobody is sure what they saw.

Kyoko then realized what's going on and what's supposed to happen. "Didn't we leave our E-Handbooks in our lockers?" she asked.

Everyone turned their heads towards Kyoko.

"What do you mean by that?" Celeste asked.

"Monokuma has sent something to our E-Handbooks," Kyoko deduced. "And he's expecting us to take a look at them. But since we don't have our E-Handbooks on us right now, nothing happened. The ones who did have their E-Handbooks are the ones who didn't change into their gym clothes. Those students are Makoto and Sayaka."

"Wait..." Monokuma realized. "You kids don't have your E-Handbooks with you right now? I was wondering why nothing happened! It seems that Makoto and Sayaka have got it. They have their E-Handbooks right now."

Kiyotaka then waved at Makoto and Sayaka. "Hey!" he shouted. "Makoto! Sayaka! Mind if you two showed what you saw in your E-Handbook?"

"No, no, no," Monokuma said. "Remember, this is you personal motive. You're not allowed to share your personal motives with anyone else, or else your motive will be revoked!"

Everyone looked back at Makoto and Sayaka and saw that they're looking at each other's screens. Or at least, that's what it looks like they're doing. Nobody is entirely sure if Makoto and Sayaka saw each other's motive. Considering that they're sitting right next to each other, it seems likely that they did saw each other's screen. But if the motives have been sent directly to the E-Handbooks, then that means that Makoto and Sayaka are sharing their motives. Despite this, Monokuma is not doing anything to stop them. Something's not right here.

"Hey, Makoto and Sayaka are sharing their personal motives!" Kiyotaka shouted. "That's against the rules, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about those two!" Monokuma replied. "Makoto and Sayaka might be sharing their motives right now, but... Let's just say that I gave them something...vague. As for the rest of you-"

As Monokuma explained the new motive, the doors to the gym slam open. Everyone turned their attention to the doors. There, they saw Natsumi and Toko.

"What's going on?!" Natsumi shouted. "I just got this strange message on my E-Handbook telling me to go to the gym! Can anyone explain to me what's happening?"

It took Natsumi a moment to realize that everyone's in their gym clothing. She looked around the gym, seeing everyone dressed up in their gym clothes. Well...almost everyone.

"Uh..." Natsumi said. "I'm so confused right now. Why is everyone in their gym clothes?"

Toko looked around the gym and locked her eyes on Byakuya the moment she saw him. "Master Togami!" she said. "You're here! It's been so long since I last saw you. H-How are you doing?"

Byakuya just stared at Toko and gave her yet another disapproving look.

Natsumi and Toko then felt a rumble in their pocket. They reached into their pockets and pulled out their E-Handbooks. Then turned it on and read the new message. They were shocked upon seeing the message they got.

"N-No way..." Natsumi said as her arms began to shake. "How...how could he have known about this?" She then collapsed to her knees.

Toko shook violently after reading her message. She lifted her face from the screen and looked at everyone else. Then, as quickly as she ran in, she ran out of the gym.

"Hey, Toko!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Come back! We missed you!"

Yasuke suspected that something's going on that caused Toko to run far away from everyone. He turned his attention back on Monokuma. "What did you do, Monokuma?" he asked, demanding answers immediately. "What have you sent to Toko that made her run away?"

Monokuma resumed his explanation of what's going on. "As I was saying, the rest of you have gotten something a bit more specific," he said. "That something...is your deepest, darkest, and most embarrassing secret about you."

Everyone gasped when Monokuma revealed what the next motive is going to be.

"O-Our secret?" Hina gasped.

"Is this some twist joke you've come up with?" Yasuke said, growling at Monokuma.

"Ah!" Hifumi screamed. "Not my deepest, darkest secret! Anything but that!"

"That's right, everyone," Monokuma said. "Your next motive is about your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secret! I have giving each of you something that you are deeply ashamed about. That something is for your own eyes only...for now. You see, if there isn't a blackened within the next 48 hours of the secrets being distributed, then your secret will be revealed to the whole outside world! Once again, you're not allowed to discuss your secret with anyone else until either the time limit runs out or a body has been discovered. So, are you willing to kill someone to prevent your secret from coming out?"

Kiyotaka stomped his foot on the floor. "This is ridiculous!" he shouted. "There's no way any of us is willing to kill each other to keep a silly secret from coming out! You hear me everyone? Don't let Monokuma control our actions. He's trying to get us to kill each other!"

"Are you sure about that?" Monokuma asked. "Oh, you're so naive, Mr. Hall Monitor. You may think that your secret doesn't matter that much, but others have really awful secrets that they don't want anyone else to know about. There's someone in this school who is desperate enough to kill someone to prevent their secret from going out to the outside world. They don't want anyone else to learn about their deepest, darkest, most embarrassing-"

"Would you shut up about this already?" Yasuke said. "I'm getting tired of hearing you say that over and over again."

"Okay, okay!" Monokuma said. "I'm getting to the actual motive now! So...this is a bit awkward. I was going to send your secrets to your own E-Handbooks, but then I discovered that you all left your E-Handbooks at your locker rooms. That's no fun. Now, don't try to rush into the locker rooms to get your E-Handbooks. Someone will accidentally grab someone else's E-Handbook, thus violating the rule about stealing someone else's personal belongings. I've let students get away with breaking the rules far too much already! I don't want to kill anyone just because they accidentally broke a rule. That's no fun at all! Luckily, I have a backup plan just in case this happens." He then reached out from behind him and pulled out some envelopes, each with a student's name written on them.

"...Envelopes?" Junko asked.

"Yep! That's right!" Monokuma said. "Since it seems that most of you don't have your E-Handbook, I will instead give you these envelopes with your names on it. Here, grab them!" He then flung the envelopes towards each student. Everyone who got an envelope grabbed the one with their name on it. After giving away the envelopes, Monokuma issued a command. "Now that you have your envelope, open them up see the terrible secret that rest inside them!"

Yasuke looked around the gym, watching everyone opened their envelopes up and read the contents. Everyone is reacting in various ways, but most of them appear to be shocked. Based on their reactions, Yasuke figured that everyone had gotten a secret that they wished isn't brought up ever again. He began to wonder what his own darkest secret is. As far as he knows, he doesn't remember anything that he considers to be deeply embarrassing about him. Right? Yasuke opened up the envelope and read the contents. There, he found something that he wasn't expecting to see. The secret he got from the envelope shocked him. It made him question about himself and his own memories. He turned around and took a look at Junko. He grew a suspicious feeling about Junko as he laid his eyes on her.

It appears that all of the surviving students have gotten their deepest, darkest secret about them. All...except for Celeste. For some reason, she hasn't gotten an envelope from Monokuma. She looked around the gym and saw that everyone else has their secret. The only one who doesn't have their secret is Celeste. Something seems off about this.

"...Where's my secret?" Celeste asked, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Everyone else has gotten their secret. Why did mine go?"

"Oh, it's you, Celeste," Monokuma said. "I didn't recognize you for a moment. You look different without your hair extensions. You know, you remind me of someone I once knew. I can't put my paws on who exactly, but you look like someone else."

"You're not answering my question," Celeste continued. "Where is my secret? Why haven't you given my secret to me like everyone else?"

Monokuma thought about Celeste's question for a moment. "You know, I would say that I forgot to give your secret to you, Celeste, because I didn't recognize you," he said. "But I won't! You really want to know why you didn't get your secret? This is your punishment for getting out of my execution for you alive!"

"...Is this how you punish me?" Celeste asked. "By not giving me my secret like everyone else? Don't tell me that this is like last time, where a special motive is given to the person who didn't get a motive like everyone else."

"Don't worry!" Monokuma said. "This isn't like the last motive! I won't give away any special motives to anyone, and I won't offer an additional motive to everyone. It's all fair game to everyone! Except for you, Celeste. You will never get your secret. But remember, everyone! Starting now, you have 48 hours to murder someone before your secret is revealed to the outside world! Act fast, everyone. If you don't murder someone before the time limit is up, then everyone will know your terrible secret. Everyone. Have fun, and farewell for now!" After making that speech about the next motive, Monokuma disappeared into the stage, and the entire gym fell into a brief silence.

"...So, now what?" Hina asked. "We still have a tournament going on. Can we finish that now?"

Kiyotaka walked up to the volleyball. It has holes in it from behind impaled by a claw. As a result, it is deflated and is currently unusable. It was already bad enough that Monokuma ruined a volleyball, but then Kiyotaka realized something. "That's the only volleyball we have in this school!" he exclaimed, much to the shock of everyone. "It's ruined now! We can't continue the tournament when the ball's like this! I say that we declare this tournament over!"

"Wait, what about the final match of the tournament?" Junko asked. "We still haven't finished that. Who won in the end? I could've scored a point for my team if Monokuma haven't showed up."

"I'm sorry to say," Kiyotaka replied, "but we're canceling that final match. The tournament is canceled! No one wins in the end!"

Nearly everyone who participated in the tournament groaned in disappointment at the results. Now no one will ever know who is truly the winner of the tournament. Well, everyone knows who got last and third place, but which teams got the top two positions in which order will forever remain unknown.

Once the tournament is called of, everyone returned to the locker rooms and changed back into their regular clothes.

* * *

**Day 9 - 12:00 PM (46 Hours Remain)  
Dining Room, First Floor**

"Well, that didn't go as well as I planned," Kiyotaka told everyone as they gathered around the central table. "I was expecting the tournament to go smoothly without any problems. Then Monokuma showed and ruined the fun for everyone."

"The motive he gave us was so strange!" Natsumi shouted, pounding her first on the table. "I mean, how could Monokuma possibly know that about me? I thought I forgot about that already!"

"...I really don't want to remember that moment..." Mondo said.

"What should we do now?" Hina asked. "We have to do something about our secrets. I don't want my secret to be known to everyone..."

"Calm down, everyone," Kiyotaka said. "We can make it out of this school alive if we resist the temptation of taking someone's life. Don't let Monokuma control your actions! He wants us to kill and betray each other!"

"Dude..." Mondo began to ask, "what if our secret was so embarrassing that we'll do anything to prevent anyone from knowing about it?"

"Oh, quit worrying, bro!" Kiyotaka assured. "I'm sure no one's desperate enough to kill someone to keep their secret from the outside world! No one's gotten a secret they found so shameful that they're willing to kill someone!"

Everyone stared blankly at Kiyotaka, not sure if they fully agree with him. Some of them remembered the secret they got, and shuddered at the thought of the outside world knowing about it. They began to develop an urge to kill to try to prevent that from happening.

"Do you honestly believe that none of us have a secret that we found to be embarrassing?" Celeste asked, drawing attention to her.

"Of course I do!" Kiyotaka replied. "The secret I got was something that I know everyone knows by now! Here, let me share it with all of you!"

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Natsumi exclaimed.

"Bro, you do realize that you're about to break a rule, right?" Mondo asked. "You know, the rule about not sharing your motives?"

"Relax!" Kiyotaka said. "The consequences of me sharing you my secret are tame! It's just having your motive being revoked. I already know that the secret I got is well known by the outside world, so I don't care if I share with you. Are you ready to hear my secret? My secret is-"

"Don't say it!" Natsumi and Mondo shouted at the same time. Everyone nearly jumped at the sudden shouting.

Celeste then cleared her throat. "Honestly, do you really think that just because your secret was tame, it means that everyone else's is tame as well?" she asked. "Each and every one of us has a secret that we are ashamed about. Some secrets are tame. Whoever owns that secret doesn't care if the outside world knows about it or not. But for others, their secrets are so shameful that they'll do anything to prevent anyone from knowing about it. You may think that your secret was tame, Kiyotaka. But there are others who are not as fortunate as you, who have something they are ashamed about."

"What are you even talking about?" Kiyotaka asked. "Not everyone has a shameful secret about themselves, you know? Now please let me show to you my secret!"

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Natsumi asked. "If you do that, who knows how Monokuma will punish you."

"That bear did warn us that he won't let anyone escape his punishment the next time someone breaks a rule," Mondo said. "I don't want to lose you, bro! Not after we've spent so much time together!"

"Hey, I don't want to lose you either, bro!" Kiyotaka replied.

Kiyotaka and Mondo started to shout at each other. Everyone watched as the two boys argued against each other. What are they arguing about? Nobody seems to know. They seem to jump between several different topics with no rhyme or reason. Everyone began to wonder when the arguing will stop.

As the argument between Kiyotaka and Mondo continues, Yasuke took another look at Junko, this time examining her closely. On closer examination, he noticed that there's something...off about Junko. She is his childhood friend, so he knows exactly what she looks like. This Junko...she almost looks like the childhood friend he knew, except that there a few things...off about her. He began to wonder if this is really the Junko that he knows from his childhood.


	14. Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair (Daily Life 4)

**Day 10 - 4:00 AM (30 Hours Remain)  
Dormitory, First Floor**

Not much happened after the noon meeting. Once the meeting is over, everyone pretty much went their own ways. Nobody talked much for the rest of the day. Kiyotaka tried his best to share his secret with everyone, even though this is a violation of the rules. No matter how much he tried, all of his attempts ended with someone shutting him up.

Soon, nighttime arrives and everyone went to bed. There was plenty of time left before the motive expires, but everyone was anxious about someone dying. While most of the students are trying their best to get a good night's sleep, Makoto and Sayaka are having trouble falling asleep.

Makoto was so confused about the motive he got. He knows that it's supposed to be his deepest, most shameful secret. It's supposed to be a secret that's so shameful to him that he'll do anything to prevent anyone else from knowing about it. That's what Monokuma told everyone when he distributed the second motive. But upon reading his secret, he was baffled. He doesn't really know what it meant.

Makoto's secret reads, "Knows Sayaka's most shameful secret".

That's it. That's what his secret reads. When he first laid his eyes on those words, Makoto has no idea what his secret really meant. It could mean that he knows something about Sayaka that she found to be shameful, but what? In all the times he has interacted with Sayaka, she has never revealed to him something that she found to be shameful about her. Or could it? Could it possibly refer to something that Sayaka told about herself? Makoto can't know for sure what his secret really meant. His secret was vague.

It wasn't just Makoto that got a vague secret. Sayaka too has also gotten a vague secret. Her secret is worded in a similar way to his own, and just like Makoto, she too was confused by what her secret meant.

Sayaka's secret reads, "Knows Makoto's most shameful secret".

After Makoto and Sayaka got their secret, they immediately shared their secrets with each other, as they were right next to each other when the motive was distributed. Technically, this violated the rule against sharing motives, but the secret they got was vague enough that Monokuma let it slide. Upon reading each other's secret, they were confused.

As far as either of them are considered, they haven't revealed any shameful secrets to each other. Sayaka has talked a lot about herself to Makoto, yet she never revealed anything shameful about her. Makoto hasn't revealed much information about himself to Sayaka, so there's no way that she could've known about anything shameful about him. With this in mind, they began to wonder why Monokuma would give them a secret like this. They began to wonder what exactly is he trying to achieve by doing this.

Makoto and Sayaka went to bed together for the day as thoughts about each other's secret began to cloud their mind. This proved to be a big mistake. Throughout the entire night, the two ended up staying awake as they thought about their most shameful secret, and if the other knows about it. They spent hours thinking about their secret, but in the end, they've come up with nothing. They still have no idea what exact secret their secret was referring to.

Makoto is about as average as one could get. He lived a normal life with a normal family and attended a normal school. Well, as normal as it can get when there's also an idol attending the school. He couldn't think of anything about himself that he would consider so shameful that he would try his best to forget about it. If that's the case, then Monokuma could've at least giving him a secret that's actually quite tame compared to everyone else. But no, Monokuma just had to give Makoto a vague secret, and it's not even something directly related to him.

Sayaka had done several awful things during her idol career. While there are some things that she found to be pleasant about the idol industry, she also experienced some of the nastier sides of the idol industry as well. She wished that she never got to do any of the awful things that she did. She also wished that her fans don't know about the awful things that she did. There are plenty of things that Monokuma could've chosen as her most shameful secret, as she would do anything to prevent her fans and the outside world from knowing about them. But no, Monokuma just had to give Sayaka a vague secret, and it has nothing to do with her idol career.

To make matters worse for Makoto and Sayaka, they began to develop some...disturbing images in their heads. They imagined themselves dying in several horrible, gruesome ways from being stabbed in the abdomen, to getting a lethal blow to the head, to being caught in a giant bear trap, to being trapped in a barrel and being stabbed with swords. These images kept getting in the way of their thoughts, and it also kept them awake throughout the night. As a result, Makoto and Sayaka are left to lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for hours on end.

Eventually, Makoto had enough of this. He doesn't want to end up staying awake throughout the entire night. He decided that it's time to clear his mind so that he could finally get some quality rest for once. The more sleepless nights he went through, the most likely he will end up falling asleep outside the dormitory rooms, which would be a violation of the rules, which means that Monokuma will likely kill him as punishment. He didn't want to get himself killed by anyone, not after he got knocked unconscious and found himself in a murder plot.

Makoto lifted himself off the bed and tapped on Sayaka to get her to get up. "Come on, Sayaka," he said. "Time to get up."

Sayaka made some small movements on the bed, trying to fall asleep. Then she clutched her stomach, groaning in pain. "My stomach..." she groaned. "It hurts..."

Makoto grew concerned for Sayaka. "Did you eat anything weird last night?" he asked.

Sayaka shook her head. She tried to say a word, but then she nearly threw up.

Makoto sighed. "Look, if you're going to throw you, then don't do it right now," he said. "Just find a place to throw up if you feel like doing it. Now please, get up right now."

Sayaka lifted herself off the bed, looking drowsy from a lack of sleep. "...What time is it?" she asked.

"Well, the morning announcement hasn't played yet?" Makoto replied. "It might still be nighttime. Who knows how close morning is right now. Let's go, Sayaka. We're going somewhere.

"...Where?" Sayaka asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"We're going to the gym," Makoto replied. "Remember what Sakura said about exercise? It helps clear the mind of unwanted thoughts. We have too many unwanted thoughts right now, and it's preventing us from sleeping. We're going to have a little workout to help clear our minds. Sound good?"

Sayaka slowly nodded her head. "Okay..." she replied. She snapped herself back to wakefulness when she realized something. "Wait, don't we have to worry about someone walking outside your room? I heard a few footsteps throughout the night. Someone must be out there! Whoever's outside your room...they might kill us if we took a step outside!"

Makoto looked towards his room door, wondering what Sayaka is talking about. He listened closely to make sure there were no sounds coming from outside his room. It appears that the hall outside is silent. "What are you worried about?" he asked. "I've heard no sounds coming from outside my room. The only sounds I've heard are the sounds of us breathing."

"So...it's just me then," Sayaka asked. "I'm just imagining things?"

"Seems like that's the case," Makoto replied. "That's why we're going to have a workout. We need to clear our minds of all of our unwanted thoughts. So, you're coming with me?"

Sayaka nodded her head, agreeing to come with Makoto.

"Good," Makoto said. "Now, let's go. Don't forget to bring your E-Handbook. We need them to unlock the locker rooms."

Makoto and Sayaka grabbed the necessary things and headed out the room together. Makoto opened the door up and took a peek at the hallway outside. He looked to his left and his right to make sure no one else is in the hallway right now. It appears that the hallway is currently empty and that everyone is in their rooms.

"Hmm, seems like there's no one outside right now," Makoto said. "That's good. Alright, Sayaka. Let's keep moving."

Makoto and Sayaka then exited the room together, with Makoto locking the door to his room. Once that's done, they continued on to the locker room to change into their gym clothes.

* * *

**Day 10 - 4:20 AM (29 Hours, 40 Minutes Remain)**   
**Athletics Changing Room, First Floor**

Makoto and Sayaka entered the changing room near the swimming pool. There, they stood in front of the locker room doors. The floor of the room looked and felt differently than before. The floor is covered with a soft mat. They aren't sure why the mat is there, but they didn't think too much about it.

Sayaka is unsure of what she and Makoto are going to do next. She turned towards Makoto to ask him a question. "...Makoto?" she said. "What are we going to do?"

Makoto thought about his workout plans with Sayaka for a moment. "You know, I'm not so sure," he said. "There isn't a lot we can do in this school. We don't have access to a field since all the exits are blocked. How about we just...run around the gym for a few minutes? Does that sound good?"

"I don't know..." Sayaka said. "I don't do much workouts. My exercise routines are just me jumping up and down the stage, and that's just part of a performance."

"Well, I'm not sure about this routine either," Makoto replied. "But that's all we can do in this school. This is the only thing we can do."

"What about swimming?" Sayaka asked.

"I don't think we can go swimming in the pool," Makoto said. "I don't remember taking a swim anywhere in my life."

"Yeah...me neither..." Sayaka replied.

Makoto spent a few more moments staring at the locker room door. "We should get started," he said. "I don't want to wait to do this any longer."

Sayaka nodded in agreement, not saying another word.

Makoto and Sayaka pulled out their E-Handbooks and put them in front of the scanner. Makoto went to the boy's locker room while Sayaka went to the girl's locker room. The door then unlocks, allowing them access to the locker room. They then open the doors and step inside.

As soon as the locker room door opens, Makoto was hit with a nasty surprise. He took one look at the locker room and freaked out.

"Ah! AHH!" Makoto screamed as he stumbled backwards. "W-What the...?"

Sayaka heard Makoto screaming and rushed to his side. "What's wrong-" she tried to ask, but then she took a look inside the boy's locker room. She was shocked by what she saw.

It's not even a full day since Monokuma distributed the second motives, and yet someone has already died. Someone has been killed.

The boy's locker room was in a mess. The smell of fresh blood filled the air. At the back wall are the words BLOOD LUST written in blood. In front of those two words is a dead body. Partially suspended between between two pull-up frames is the body of the late Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. Stabbed into his abdomen is a knife.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

"Wake up, everyone!" Monokuma announced over the intercom. "It's time to rise and shine, because a body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather at the locker room between the gym and the pool. Now, after some time has passed, a class trial will begin!"

Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist. He was the only doctor left in the school, and the only hope everyone has in case someone was injured. He's the last thing that could prevent someone from dying. And now, he's dead. Just like with Hiro before him, Yasuke has been murdered.

The timing of the body discovery announcement couldn't have been any worse. It happened in the middle of the night, when everyone is in their rooms sleeping. Morning was just a few hours away from starting. Now, everyone has been rudely awakened. Soon, they'll rush towards the athletics changing room and see the dead doctor.

In the previous case, Makoto and Sayaka were the last ones to see the body. They were knocked unconscious for the entire duration of the investigation. In a cruel twist of fate, they became the first students to discover the body in this case. The body discovery announcement played a few moments after they laid their eyes on the body.

...

For some odd reason, there was something about Yasuke being stabbed in the abdomen that made Sayaka extremely uncomfortable. Maybe it reminded her too much of one of the disturbing images she formed in her head. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach and developed the urge to throw up. This time, there is no holding it in. She have to vomit this out quickly.

"Sayaka, what's wrong?" Makoto asked. Then he realized what Sayaka is about to do. He began to panic. "Are you about to throw up?! Oh crap! This can't be good! Uh...hurry! Let's find a bag or something!"

Makoto and Sayaka ran out of the locker room to find a bag for Sayaka to vomit into. There weren't many bags stored in the school. They did find one bag in the student store. Makoto grabbed the bag and have Sayaka vomit into it. It wasn't a pleasant sight to see. It almost made Makoto throw up as well. Once Sayaka is done throwing up, Makoto disposed the bag into the nearest trash bin.

After that...uncomfortable moment, Makoto and Sayaka returned to the locker room. There, they found everyone standing there, staring at the body. Everyone looked tried as expected, as well as shocked.

"N-No..." Kiyotaka said. "This can't be real... Dr. Yasuke...are you really dead?"

Hina fell to her knees and cried almost uncontrollably. Sakura tried her best to comfort Hina, but she could only lessen the damage seeing a dead body caused.

"Yasuke!" Junko cried. "NO!" She then collapsed to her knees and cried into the floor. "Why? Why does it have to be you? Why do you have to die?"

"What the shit?" Mondo gasped. "Who the hell would kill off our only doctor?"

"Whoever did this is going to pay for this," Natsumi said. "That is...if we managed to catch them. Now we have to suffer through another trial. Who did this?!"

"This has to be a trick," Hifumi suggested. "Some sick prank somebody put on us. Surely, Mr. Yasuke Matsuda is still alive, right? There's no way he could've died!"

As everyone began to wonder who could've killed Yasuke, Kyoko calmly approached the body and began inspecting it. She looked all around Yasuke, checking to see if there are any signs of life. Unfortunately, she couldn't find any signs of life left in Yasuke. She clutched her fist upon realizing this. "...He's dead," she declared. "Yasuke's dead. There is no going back from this."

Everyone fell into shocked silence as Kyoko announced that Yasuke is officially dead. Nobody wants to believe it, but it's true. Another student has been murdered. Another student has become the new blackened. Who could've killed Yasuke? That's what the upcoming investigation and trial is about to uncover.

As everyone began to mourn the death of Yasuke, Monokuma showed up. "Ah, it appears that the doctor is now dead," he said. "How ironic. The one who can save anyone from the brink of death is now dead himself. He couldn't even save himself from death! What a shame!"

Everyone then turn their heads towards Monokuma. They grew disgusted at his words.

"W-Why you-!" Mondo tried to say, only to stop himself in the middle of his sentence.

"How could you treat Yasuke this way!?" Junko shouted, looking furious. It looked like she's about to burst into tears. "He's my childhood friend! Why would you mock him after he's dead?"

"Hey, I'm not mocking the dead," Monokuma said. "I'm just saying that it is unfortunate that your doctor was murdered."

Junko growled and clutched her fists. She felt like she could attack Monokuma at any moment. She held herself back from doing anything dangerous. She nearly got herself killed by violating one of the rules. If she violated the rules against attacking the headmaster again, nobody would save her out of fear of getting themselves killed as well.

"Anyways, It's time to start the second investigation!" Monokuma announced. "But before we do that, there is something I need to address. As you can see, the body was discovered way early in the morning, before the morning announcement could play. I'm sure all of you are hungry and tired from that rude awakening. You can go back to sleep later, but I don't want to see anyone go hungry during the trial. To prevent this from happening, I have a gift for the surviving students!" Monokuma then handed out a loaf of bread and a water bottle to each of the surviving students. "Enjoy your little snack! You're going to need it. And remember, I will be waiting for all of you in the trial room. See you there!" Monokuma then disappeared as everyone began eating their loaf of bread.

After everyone finished their loaf of bread and drank some water, it's time to start the investigation. Everyone turned their attention to the late Yasuke. Some of the students are still horrified over the loss of the doctor. It's saddening to everyone to see another one of them die.

There's one question that's hovering over everyone's heads as they investigate this case: who could've killed Yasuke and why?

* * *

**Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair**

**Deadly Life**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear. Dr. Yasuke Matsuda, the who solved the mystery behind the first case (aside from Kyoko) is now dead. He had a great time in the spotlight during the class trials, but it appears that his time is up. With him dead, who knows how much longer newcomer Natsumi will last. Who could've killed this doctor? Why would they do it? And does it have anything to do with the current motive? Only time will tell.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than usual, mainly because I don't have a lot of events planned out for this chapter. I don't want to drag this chapter on for too long. The main event of this chapter is the body discovery. That's it.
> 
> With the discovery of another body comes another investigation. In the next chapter, the surviving students work together to gather up all the clues relevant to the case. What clues will the pick up along the way? And what culprit could the clues possibly lead to?


	15. Chapter 2: Bonds Forged in Despair (Deadly Life)

**Day 10 - 4:35 AM  
Athletics Changing Room, First Floor**

Before the second investigation could begin, everyone turned on their E-Handbook and reviewed the Monokuma File.

 **Monokuma File 2:** The victim was Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was around 2:00 AM. The victim was discovered in the boy's locker room, at the athletics area. The victim suffered a single stab wound to the abdomen and bled to death. There were additional injuries at both wrists and the neck, but those appeared to be inflicted after the victim's death.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Monokuma File 2  
**

Sayaka cringed upon reading the Monokuma File. That uncomfortable feeling in her stomach returned. She felt like she could throw up at any moment. Makoto noticed that she's about to throw up again. He patted her on the abdomen, and the uncomfortable feeling faded away a little.

"Yasuke..." Junko said as she gripped her E-Handbook tightly. "Why? Why do you have to die? I swear...I will find your killer and make them suffer with my own hands!"

"Calm down, everyone," Kiyotaka said. "Let's not get too emotional here. Dr. Yasuke was a great man when he was alive. I prefer that he stays that way. I know how much it hurts to see another one of us dead, but we mustn't give up now! We need to figure out who killed Yasuke before we can continue with our lives. So, who will carry out this investigation?"

Nobody said a single word. Nearly everyone just stared at Kiyotaka with a disapproving look.

Kiyotaka looked around the room, wondering why everyone's giving him that look. "Come on, everyone," he said. "Someone's got to do this investigation, and it's not going to be me."

"Actually, it's all of us," Kyoko answered. "All of us have to work together in this investigation."

Kiyotaka was shocked by the answer. "Uh...what?" he said.

"Yeah, I'm with Kiyotaka," Natsumi said. "Why? Why are you saying that all of us have to do this investigation? I'm not going to some investigation. I'd rather stay out of the sights of the police."

Kyoko gave Kiyotaka and Natsumi a disapproving look. "This is a team effort, you two," she said. "We all have to work together, or else we'll be killed. We can't afford to make a single mistake."

"Make a single mistake?" Kiyotaka asked. "What are you talking about? We will not die just because we made a mistake and nearly derailed the trial. I'm sure we'll be back right on track as soon as we realize that we're on the wrong track."

Once again, nearly everyone gave Kiyotaka a disapproving look. His blind optimism is starting to annoy everyone. Even Makoto is getting annoyed.

"Dude..." Mondo said. "You do realize that the black chick nearly got us all killed, right? She nearly fooled us into believing that Makoto and Sayaka are the culprits in the previous case."

Natsumi then leered at Celeste. "This is all your fault," she whispered.

Celeste heard Natsumi blaming her and didn't react at all.

"I know that, bro," Kiyotaka replied. "But that's the previous case. This time, we won't let ourselves be fooled by distractions!"

"...Sometimes I wonder why we even became friends," Mondo groaned.

Kyoko is starting to get irritated that no one but her is doing the investigation. "Enough with the side chatter, everyone," she said. "We don't have much time to do the investigation. The trial is starting soon, and if we don't gather enough evidence we might not be able to figure out the culprit.

Kiyotaka paused for a moment as he realized how much time he and the rest of the students wasted. "Right," he said. "I nearly forgot about the investigation. Thanks, Kyoko."

Kyoko replied with an annoyed sigh.

"Alright, everyone!" Kiyotaka said with a clap of his hands. "Enough side chat! Let's do this investigation together, starting with the crime scene!"

Kiyotaka and the students entered the boy's locker room to perform an investigation. Most of the students did participate in the investigation, although there are several others who didn't. Toko is still absent, having trapped herself in her own room and refusing to open the door. Byakuya took one look at the crime scene and decided not to investigate. He left the locker room without saying a word. Celeste didn't feel like doing the investigation, so she leaned on a wall and did practically nothing. This left Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko as the only ones remaining. Makoto and Sayaka do want to participate in the investigation, as they were unconscious for the entirety of the previous investigation. However, they hesitated to begin their participation. They began to wonder if they should be doing this.

"Ahem," Kyoko said.

Makoto and Sayaka turn their attention to Kyoko. She's crossing her arms and staring at them.

"Oh...hey, Kyoko," Makoto greeted.

Kyoko didn't say a word.

"Um..." Makoto said as he tried to come with something to say. "...Shouldn't you be investigating as well?"

Kyoko took a deep breath before speaking. "You two discovered the body, didn't you?" she asked.

Makoto slowly nodded. "Yeah..." he replied. "Sayaka and I are about to take a run in the gym. We're having trouble sleeping, so I figured that we should clear our minds. I've heard that exercising can-"

"Enough," Kyoko ordered. "Cut the unnecessary talk. We're in the middle of an investigation."

"Oh...right," Makoto said. "So...what can we do now?"

Kyoko turned around and look back at the locker room. "Unfortunately, the boy's locker room is crowded right now," she said. "We have to wait for everyone to leave that room. Just let everyone gather the evidence."

Makoto and Sayaka are disappointed that they aren't gathering some evidence in this investigation. They were looking forward into working with their classmates in solving this case. With the crime scene currently being crowded, there was no choice for them but to wait until the crime scene clears up or a relevant location is brought up. Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko decided to stand around in the locker room, waiting for the crime scene to be free of their classmates. Celeste was there in the room as well, but she doesn't look interested in investigating.

Meanwhile, in the crime scene, everyone is finding evidence all over the room. The first thing that caught everyone's eyes is the weapon that was used to kill Yasuke: the knife.

"Oh no..." Kiyotaka said upon seeing the knife. "Not this again! Don't tell me that someone stole another knife from the kitchen! Someone better get to the kitchen and check the knives! If there's another knife missing, then that means that the missing kitchen knife was the murder weapon!"

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Natsumi asked. "You keep asking us to do some task, yet you never did the task yourself. If you really want a task to be done, then just do the task!"

"Yeah, bro," Mondo said, agreeing with Natsumi. "Enough with ordering us to do something. I'm getting tired of it."

"Quiet, you two!" Kiyotaka said. "I'm supposed to be the leader in here. Someone's got to be in charge of everyone, and it's got to be me!"

"I'll do it!" Hifumi said, volunteering to go to the kitchen.

"What?" Natsumi gasped. "Are you serious, fatty?"

"Hey, don't call me fatty!" Hifumi shouted. "It hurts my feeling when people call me that!"

"Quit fighting, you two!" Kiyotaka ordered. "We're doing an investigation here! We can't afford to fight each other!" He then turn his attention to Hifumi. "Alright, Hifumi. You go into the kitchen and check on the knives. Report back to us as soon as you can!"

"Right away, sir!" Hifumi said as he ran out of the locker room.

"Whoa!" Makoto screamed in the background. "Excuse me, Hifumi. You nearly ran into me."

"Sorry about that, Mr. Makoto Naegi," Hifumi apologized.

While Hifumi was about to go to the kitchen, Junko inspected the knife that was stabbed into Yasuke. She nearly cried again upon getting up close to her dead childhood friend. She was about to get into her history with Yasuke. Upon taking a closer look at the knife, she discovered that the knife wasn't a kitchen knife like everyone believed.

"Wait, hold it, Hifumi!" Junko shouted as she quickly stood up. She turned around expecting to see Hifumi, but it's too late. He's away for now. Junko groaned in disappointment.

"What is it?" Kiyotaka asked. "What are you trying to say Junko?"

"I was about to say that this isn't a kitchen knife," Junko explained.

"Why would you say that?" Hina asked. "A knife is just a knife, right?"

"Not quite," Kyoko corrected.

Everyone in the room turned around and looked at the door. They found Kyoko standing there, staring right back at them.

"Kyoko!" Kiyotaka said. "You've finally came! So what are you trying to say?"

Kyoko simply walked forward towards the body. She pointed at the knife that was stabbed into Yasuke. "See this?" she asked. "What does this look like to you?"

"Um...it's a knife," Hina replied.

"Not just a knife," Kyoko added. "This knife is a combat knife."

"What?!" Hina gasped. "I thought all knives are the same!"

Kyoko shook her head. "Not exactly," she said. "Take a closer look at that knife. Did you notice anything?"

"Um...no?" Hina replied, unsure about her response.

"The blade design..." Junko said. "It looks like it was made for combat use, as well as some utility use."

"Correct," Kyoko said, nodding her head. "The design of the knife...it doesn't look like it could be used for culinary use. In fact, it doesn't look like a kitchen knife at all."

"Oh, I see..." Hina said, realizing the difference between combat knives and kitchen knives. "So...what can we conclude?"

Kyoko pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure where the culprit could've gotten that knife," she said. "I don't see a source for that weapon anywhere in the school. All I can is that this combat knife was used by the culprit to kill Yasuke. That's it."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Combat Knife**

"So that's once piece of evidence down," Kiyotaka said. "What's next?"

"The combat knife isn't the only knife that was found in the crime scene," Kyoko said. "Before I move on to that, I need someone to come here." She then made a gesture at the door, suggesting that she's asking someone to come over to her.

A few seconds after Kyoko made that gesture, Makoto and Sayaka entered the locker room. The others students move out of the way of their path. After returning to the crime scene, Makoto and Sayaka took another look at Yasuke's body. Sayaka whimpered again and clutched her stomach. She tried her best to resist the urge of throwing up.

The locker room fell into awkward silence for a few moments.

"So Kyoko..." Makoto began. "Why did you call me and Sayaka over?"

"Yeah, you said that there's another knife in the crime scene," Kiyotaka added. "Where is that knife?"

Kyoko ignored Kiyotaka and focused on Makoto and Sayaka. "You two are the ones who discovered the body, correct?" she asked.

Makoto and Sayaka silently nodded. They remembered hearing the body discovery announcement as soon as they laid their eyes on the late Yasuke. That implies that they're the first students that discovered the body, unless Monokuma has something to add about the body discovery event.

"I see..." Kyoko said. "So that also means that you two got a good look at the crime scene. You two must've seen the knife that's stabbed into Yasuke's body. But did you two happen to notice the other knife in the crime scene? Because I saw one right next to the victim's body."

Everyone was confused by what Kyoko is talking about. They looked around the crime scene in search for the other knife. It didn't take long before someone noticed something. Makoto looked at the floor near Yasuke's body and noticed a small and thin shiny object. He reached down, picked it up, and began inspecting it. It appears to have a blade. Sayaka cringed again when Makoto picked up the object. After a few moments of inspecting, Makoto realized what he's holding.

"Hey, what's a scalpel doing in a locker room?" Makoto asked.

Everyone except for Kyoko and Sayaka gasped when Makoto made the announcement.

"What?" Kiyotaka gasped. "Are you sure that's the other knife?"

"That looks nothing like a knife," Hina said. "There's no way that could be the other knife."

Makoto handed the scalpel over to Kyoko, who then made her own observations. "A scalpel is a type of knife," she said as she inspected the scalpel. "This is a medical scalpel, designed to make precise cuts on the body."

"Oh, I get it now," Hina said.

"Hmm...that scalpel looks dangerous," Kiyotaka remarked. "We should prevent anyone from accessing those scalpels as much as possible!"

"Dude, do you really think a damn scalpel is an effective weapon?" Mondo asked. "We have much better things to use as weapons. If anything, we should limit access to those dangerous weapons instead."

"Quiet, Mondo," Kiyotaka responded. "You'd better not think about killing anyone anything soon. I don't want to lose you, so don't do anything drastic, okay?"

Kyoko stared at Kiyotaka and Mondo and gave both boys a disapproving look. She then resumed her inspection on the scalpel. "It doesn't appear that this scalpel was used as a weapon," she said. "The blade is clean. There's no blood on it. Even if it was used as a weapon, whoever used it didn't draw any blood."

"So who do you think used the scalpel as a weapon?" Natsumi asked.

"My best guess is that Yasuke used it," Kyoko replied.

Everyone gasped again when Kyoko made that conclusion.

"A-Are you saying that Yasuke tried to kill someone?" Junko asked. "N-No way! There's no way that could be the case!"

"But why would you think that Yasuke tried to kill someone?" Hina asked. "He's the doctor. His job is trying to save someone's life. Why would he go against his goal?"

As everyone began to discuss why Yasuke tried to kill someone, Hifumi returned from his quick check on the kitchen. He looked like he's out of breath.

"Hey, I'm back," Hifumi announced. "I checked the kitchen, and one of the knives is still missing. Does anyone know where that knife went?"

Everyone stopped their discussion for a moment as they turn around and look at Hifumi.

"Focus, everyone," Kyoko ordered. "We need to set our priorities straight. We can talk about that later."

Hifumi sighed in disappointment. "Aw, that was a waste of my time," he said. "Hey, can I go back in? That room look crowded now." He got no response. "No? Fine. I'll just stay here. Oh hey, Miss Celeste! Mind if we talk for a moment?"

Celeste turned her head away from Hifumi, refusing to talk to him.

Kyoko let out a heavy sigh. "We need to move on," she said. "We have more clues to investigate. For now, let's just say that Yasuke tried to use this scalpel to try to kill someone. As we can all see, he failed and was killed by his target."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Medical Scalpel**

Everyone has wasted enough time focusing on just a few clues. They picked up the pace and tried to find more clues in the crime scene. First, they focused on the status of Yasuke's body. It appears that he was partially suspended with two pull-up frames, with his upper body being suspended. His legs remained on the floor. It also appears that a rope was used to suspend him. The rope was tied to the frames, his wrists, and his neck. Why would the culprit do this to him? No one knows. All they could do is remember this for the upcoming trial.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Status of the Dead Body**

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Rope**

Everyone then moved on to the writing on the back wall. It reads "BLOOD LUST", written in blood. It appears that Yasuke's blood was used to write these words, unless the blood came from a blood pack. Wherever that blood came from is up for debate at the moment.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Words on Wall**

As everyone continued to search the locker room for more clues, Makoto took a closer look at the rope used to suspend Yasuke. On closer inspection, he realized that the rope being used isn't a rope at all.

"Hey, this isn't a rope!" Makoto said, catching everyone's attention. "This is an extension cord!"

"What?" Kiyotaka said, looking confused. "What do you mean that isn't a rope?"

Kyoko walked up to Makoto. "It may look like a rope because it is used like one," she said. "But if you take a closer look, you'll see that it's not an actual rope."

"I found a plug on on the right side," Makoto said. "Yasuke's right, I mean. And towards his left, there is a socket."

"Ah, using an extension cord as a rope," Hina remarked. "How clever. I never knew that an extension cord can be used in place of a rope."

"Any long, thin object can be used as a rope," Kyoko added. "It appears that whoever killed Yasuke used the extension cord to hung him from his wrists. As we can all see, Yasuke was partially suspended. I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve by doing that. In any case, we need to update a piece of evidence with the new information."

**Truth Bullet Updated: Extension Cord**

It looks like there was no more evidence to be found in the crime scene. Everyone was about to leave the locker room in search for more clues. Before anyone could leave, however, Kyoko suspected that Yasuke carried a few things that could be used as evidence. She began to search Yasuke's body to find more clues.

"Kyoko, what are you doing?" Kiyotaka said. "Searching through a dead body again? Come on, we don't have time for that."

As Kyoko continued to search Yasuke's body, she began to notice something missing. "Yasuke's E-Handbook..." she said. "It's missing!"

Everyone gasped when Kyoko made the discovery.

"What?" Kiyotaka gasped. "Yasuke's handbook is missing? How could it be?"

"Well, he could've left his E-Handbook in his own room," Hina guessed. "That's gotta be the case, right?"

"No, I don't think that's the case," Makoto replied. "We found the body in the boy's locker room, which means that he must've gained access to that room at some point prior to his death."

"Remember, you need to put your E-Handbook in front of the scanner in order to unlock the locker room," Sakura said. "A boy's E-Handbook is required to unlock the boy's locker room, and the same applies for the girls."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: E-Handbook Scanner**

"If Yasuke was found dead in the boy's locker room, then it means that he used his E-Handbook on the scanner," Kyoko said. "Therefore, Yasuke has his E-Handbook on him when he entered the boy's locker room. But since his E-Handbook was missing from him, it could only mean one thing."

"It was stolen?" Makoto guessed, unsure if his answer was correct.

Kyoko pondered for a moment. "That seems to be the case," she said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Hold it for a moment! Are you saying that someone stole Yasuke's E-Handbook? Isn't that against the rules?"

"I have something to say about that!" Monokuma said as he appeared out of nowhere.

This time, nobody was startled by the bear's sudden appearance. Some are a bit angered, however.

"You again?" Mondo growled. "Why do you have to show up now? I am so goddamn tired of seeing you!"

Monokuma ignored Mondo as he spoke to everyone. "Hey, do you all remember the rule about personal belongings?" he asked. "You know, the one that says that you're not allowed to steal anyone's E-Handbook or room key?"

"Of course I do!" Kiyotaka replied. "I've read the list of rules many times already! They're burned into my memories at this point!"

Everyone gave Kiyotaka a disapproving look. They didn't appreciate him giving a response nobody wants to hear.

"Well, I have something else to add to that rule!" Monokuma said. "As if there aren't any more caveats to that rule already. You see, you kinds aren't allowed to steal anyone's personal belongings. That includes their E-Handbook and room key. You aren't even allowed to touch them for even a single second! However, there is an exception to this rule. If the owner dies, then their personal belongings no longer belong to them. They belong to the school, which means that anyone can take a dead person's personal belongings without having to fear about getting punished for doing it!"

Everyone gasped when Monokuma dropped another wave of information regarding one of the rules.

"Are you kidding me?" Kiyotaka shouted. "Again? Why do you have to change the rules all the time? I can't catch up if the rules are constantly changing!"

"I'm not changing the rules," Monokuma corrected. "I'm just giving you kids more information about the rules and what happens in curtain situations. That's all I have to say for now, so I'll be seeing you at the trial room!" He then vanished once again.

While Kiyotaka is crying over the rules seemingly changing (they're not), Kyoko began thinking about some possibilities with the new information in mind. "If a dead person's personal belongings can be taken by anyone," she said, "then it means...that Yasuke's E-Handbook was stolen from him after he was killed."

"But...why would they do that?" Hina asked. "What's the point of doing that?"

"Well, our personal secrets are in our E-Handbooks," Hifumi pointed out. "Maybe the killer wanted to prevent us from knowing Mr. Yasuke Matsuda's secret?"

Kyoko paused for a moment to think. "That could be the case," she said. "We don't know each other's secret, but maybe the culprit knew Yasuke's secret. They knew that it's important that nobody knows what his secret is, so they stole his E-Handbook."

"Speaking of secrets," Kiyotaka said, "now that someone has died, how about I share all of you guys my secret?"

"No! No!" Natsumi shouted. "Don't. Say. It. I don't want to hear about it..."

"Bro, are you seriously thinking about doing that?" Mondo asked.

Kyoko sighed. "Focus," she told everyone. "We have a limited amount of time to investigate before the trial begins. Let's not waste that on unnecessary talk."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Missing E-Handbook**

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Personal Belongings Rule**

"So...are we done here?" Makoto asked. "Can we move on now?"

"There's one more thing I have to add before we move on," Kyoko said. "I found this while checking Yasuke's body for evidence. Take a look." She then reached into Yasuke's pocket and pulled out a small notepad.

"Hey, that's Yasuke's notepad," Junko said. "I knew he would carry that around him. You know, I wonder why the culprit didn't take that as well."

Kyoko opened up the notepad and read through the notes. It appears that Yasuke has taken many notes over the few days that he was alive, as he has filled out a surprising amount of pages. He has kept track of everyone's sleeping habits and current health since the killing game started. Kyoko guessed that these pages aren't relevant to the current case, so she flipped through the pages in search of something interesting. She stopped when something caught her eye: a list of every medical equipment found in the infirmary.

"Hey, can I have that for a moment?" Junko asked. "I wanna look at it."

Kyoko said nothing as she handed the notepad over to Junko, keeping it on the page with the list of medical equipment. Junko quickly read through the list.

"I recognize this," Junko said. "I saw Yasuke make a list of medical equipment. According to him, he made this list just in case someone got murdered. If one of the items is missing, then we know where the culprit got their murder weapon."

"That must've explained the scalpel found in the crime scene," Kiyotaka concluded. "That scalpel likely came from that infirmary. However, that still doesn't explain that combat knife. Are you saying that the culprit got the combat knife from the infirmary as well?"

"No, I don't see a combat knife anywhere on this list," Junko said. "So the murder weapon can't come from the infirmary."

"But that knife has to come from somewhere," Kiyotaka said. "You can't just make a weapon appear out of thin air. There's no way that could happen."

"We can focus on that later," Kyoko said. "For now, let's just say that this list is a vital piece of evidence."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Infirmary Inventory List  
**

"Hey, I have an idea!" Kiyotaka said. "Since we have a list of things in the infirmary, we can use that list and compare it to what we find in the infirmary. If there's a discrepancy between the list and what we've found, then we know that the culprit stole something from there!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Makoto asked. "I'm pretty sure only Yasuke would be aware of what the infirmary has."

Junko shook her head at the suggestion to head to the infirmary. "No, that's not a good idea," she said. "I'm taking a look at this list, and there's a lot of stuff that the infirmary has. I'm surprised that we're this equipped to handle any kind of medical emergency. Well, most emergencies, anyway. Trying to count everything in the infirmary would take too long, and we would probably make a mistake at some point."

"We've already wasted enough time at the crime scene," Kyoko said. "We should be moving by now. We need to explore every location we can access right now. There might be a piece of evidence where we least expect it."

"I agree with Kyoko," Hina said as she stretched. "Man, I'm so tired from standing around all the time, as well as getting a rude awakening. I feel like I want to move around and get my legs moving. What about you, Kiyotaka? Do you want to move as well?" Hina turned around and look to where Kiyotaka was standing, only to not find him there anymore. "Kiyotaka? Where did you go?"

"He left the room while you guys are talking," Mondo said.

"Oh..." Hina reacted. "But, where could Kiyotaka be?"

"Probably in the infirmary counting scalpels," Natsumi suggested. "What else did you expect? He's the one who suggested it."

Kyoko let out a groan. "...Let's get going, everyone," she ordered.

Soon, everyone left the locker room and began searching the school to find more clues. Celeste had to be dragged out of the room, as everyone feared that she would tamper with the crime scene in everyone's absence. Sakura volunteered to stay behind and guard the crime scene, making sure no one gets in and tampers with the crime scene.

* * *

**Day 10 - 5:00 AM  
Infirmary, First Floor  
**

"17...18...19..." Kiyotaka said as he counted up all the medical equipment in the room. "Man, there is a lot of scalpels in this room. Who needs this many scalpels? This looks dangerous. I'd better not let anyone have access to these scalpels. They look like they could kill someone! Now...where was I again? I forgot..."

Several students peeked into the infirmary and caught Kiyotaka counting up the medical equipment. They couldn't help but groan at this foolish move. It looks like Kiyotaka is going to be stuck in the infirmary for a long time, at least until the class trial begins.

"There he goes," Natsumi said. "Counting the scalpels just as I expected."

"Look, I like my bro, okay?" Mondo said. "I feel a strong bong between me and him. But sometimes, I can't help but wonder why we became friends in the first place."

"Uh...because you and Kiyotaka have an endurance battle in the sauna?" Junko suggested.

"What?" Natsumi said. "You two did that?"

Mondo gave Junko an annoyed look. "...I don't want to talk about it," he said.

Kiyotaka then lost track of where he is again. "Um...where was I again?" he asked himself. "Darn! Not this again! Now I have to start all the way from the beginning!"

Kyoko watched as Kiyotaka restarted his count of the infirmary equipment. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Kiyotaka is wasting his time by doing this," she said. "Let's not bother him for now. She then reached out and attempted to grab the door, only to be stopped by Junko.

"Oh, by the way, don't try to lock that door," Junko said. "I'm not saying that we should lock Kiyotaka in. That door only locks from the inside. What I'm trying to say is, the lock doesn't work."

Everyone in the area was shocked when they heard it. They slowly turn their heads towards Junko.

"...What did you just say?" Natsumi asked.

"I just said the lock doesn't work," Junko repeated herself. "I mean, you can try to lock the door, but the door can just open up just fine. Yasuke told me that the infirmary door might as well be wide open because of that."

"That's one shitty lock," Mondo remarked. "It makes me wonder if any locks in this school work at all."

Kyoko looked back at the previous case, thinking about one of the lingering questions the previous case left behind. With this new information, she realized what happened. "So that's how Celeste managed to enter the infirmary," she said. "Since the door wasn't locked in the first place, she can enter the infirmary without breaking the rules regarding the locked doors. I see. Well, we can't focus on the previous case for too long. It'll do little to change the conclusion. Still, it looks like this could be an important piece of evidence."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Broken Infirmary Lock**

"Oh yeah?" Mondo said. "Why did you think that?"

"I'm not entirely sure what could've happened," Kyoko replied. "Perhaps the culprit entered the infirmary, stole a scalpel, and implanted it into the crime scene to make it look like Yasuke tried to defend himself from his own killer."

"Wouldn't the culprit have to be aware that the infirmary lock doesn't work?" Natsumi asked. "If that's the case, then it looks like Celeste is the culprit."

"I doubt that black chick is willing to pull that insane plan on us again," Mondo said.

"I have to point out that Yasuke is aware that the infirmary lock doesn't work," Junko added. "And he's dead now. So that couldn't be the case."

Kyoko began to ponder some more. "If Yasuke knows that the infirmary lock doesn't work," she said, "then he could've made it look like someone broke into the infirmary and stole a scalpel. That's what he did. He stole a scalpel and tried to used it to kill someone, lifting suspicion off of him. As we all know, that plan didn't work. Whoever his intended victim is, they managed to gain the advantage and kill Yasuke instead using a combat knife."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsumi said as she rolled her eyes. "We know that already. There's still one question that needs to be answered: where did the combat knife come from?"

"As far as I know, there is no place in this school where a combat knife can be found," Kyoko replied. "The most likely location is the culprit's own room. We could search everyone's room to try to find a combat knife. However, there are many issues with this, so much that I won't get into detail about why that's a terrible idea. For now, we should get going. I don't see any other clues in this infirmary." She then began to walk away from the door and headed for someplace else. However, she was stopped by Mondo.

"Wait a second!" Mondo said. "What about Taka? Should we do something about him?"

Kyoko was silent for a few moments. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she said. "He'll be with us for the class trial. But do keep an eye on Kiyotaka. He's handling some potentially dangerous equipment if mishandled, so don't let him do anything risky. I'll be going for now. There must be more clues for us to find." She then walked away and went up the stairs to the second flood.

As everyone watched Kyoko walk away, they heard an agonized scream coming from the infirmary. They were worried for a moment. They thought that Kiyotaka had hurt himself. They looked back inside the infirmary to check on Kiyotaka, only to find him just fine. It appears that he's complaining about something, though.

"Come on!" Kiyotaka cried. "Why can't I do this properly? Now I have to start all over again!"

Everyone watching him couldn't help but groan. They wish Kiyotaka would stop this nonsense and actually help the others in this case.

* * *

**Day 10 - 5:05 AM  
Library, Second Floor  
**

For some odd reason, Byakuya decided to leave the rest of the students behind, choosing not to help them out with the investigation. Nobody is sure why he's acting this way, but most of the students didn't mind not having him around. Some of the students felt that Byakuya was a bit too condescending for their own liking and were relieved when he decided to leave. Others, while still annoyed at Byakuya, are concerned for him, however. When everyone left the crime scene to search the school for more clues, Makoto and Sayaka began searching for Byakuya. He was last seen in the locker room, and as far as they know, he could be anywhere. Sure, the available space in the school isn't much, but there were still plenty of space for everyone to move around.

It didn't take Makoto and Sayaka long before they found Byakuya again. They began searching the second floor and found Byakuya sitting in the library reading a book at the back table. As soon as they saw Byakuya, Makoto and Sayaka opened up the library door and entered it.

"Byakuya!" Makoto said as he and Sayaka entered the library. "There you are! We were wondering where you went."

For some reason, Byakuya refused to react. His eyes remained fixed to the book he's reading.

Makoto and Sayaka walked up to Byakuya. "Byakuya, what are you doing here?" he asked. "And what are you reading?"

Byakuya still refused to say anything. He kept his focus on the book he's reading.

It took Makoto a few moments to realize what Byakuya is reading. "Is that...the Genocide Jack cases?" he asked.

It was at this moment when Byakuya finally lifted his eyes off the book. "Looks like you have a keen eye," he said. "Yes, I am reading the Genocide Jack cases. Now, leave me alone. You're distracting me." He then resumed to read the Genocide Jack cases.

"Why are you reading Genocide Jack cases?" Makoto asked.

"I have no answer to that question," Byakuya replied without looking at Makoto. "Leave me alone. I'm trying to read."

"Byakuya, we don't have much time before the trial begins," Makoto reminded. "You can read that book another time. For now, you need to help us find evidence that could point to the culprit. Also, how are you reading in the dark? It's a little dim in here. Why don't you use the table lamp? It's right there."

"Don't even bother with the table lamp," Byakuya said. "It doesn't work. I don't need light to read."

While Makoto and Byakuya are talking to each other, Sayaka heard a noise coming from behind her. She nearly jumped upon hearing the noise. It sounded like someone opening a door. She looked around behind her and found Kyoko entering the library. She was relieved to see Kyoko come.

"I was expecting to see you here, Byakuya," Kyoko said as she walked up to Byakuya. "You spent a lot of time in the library. I knew that you would come here when you left the locker room."

Byakuya didn't take a glance at Kyoko, but he knew she was here. He let out a scoff. "Go away," he ordered. "I don't need you here."

Makoto then turned around and saw Kyoko. "Oh, hi Kyoko," he said. "I didn't expect for you to come here. What are you here for?"

Kyoko then looked down at the book Byakuya is reading. She recognized it as the book containing Genocide Jack cases. She knew there was something in that book that could point to more clues. Without warning, Kyoko slammed her hand on the book, bringing it down flat on the table for everyone to see its contents.

"Hey!" Byakuya shouted as the book was yanked from his hands. He then looked up at Kyoko, giving her a disapproving look. "What are you doing, Kyoko?" he asked. "You're going to break that book if you do that."

Kyoko ignored Byakuya as she scanned the pages of the book. It looked a bit awkward reading the book upside-down, so she turned the book so she can easily read it. Looking at the pages, she recognized a pattern in the cases. Of course, everyone figured out the common thing that was shared between Genocide Jack's many victims, but Kyoko couldn't help but felt like the way Yasuke's body was positioned was awfully similar to the way Genocide Jack positioned his victims. Yet, she also felt that there was something...off about the way Yasuke's body was positioned that didn't match up with the pictures she saw in the book.

"What are you trying to do, Kyoko?" Byakuya asked. "Why are you reading this book? I was about to read this book when you came in and took it from me. Give that book back to me. It belongs to me."

"Byakuya, that book doesn't belong to you," Makoto reminded. "According to Monokuma, that book belongs to the school, which means that-"

"Shut up," Byakuya said. "I don't want to hear another word from you."

Makoto is starting to grow frustrated with Byakuya. For some reason, Byakuya is acting a bit different than how he usually acts. His behavior still drove people away, but Makoto can't help but feel that something's...off about Byakuya today. He wondered why Byakuya is behaving this way.

Kyoko continued to flip through the pages as Makoto and Byakuya talked to each other. She scanned through each page and read through each case. As she looked through more and more pages, Kyoko felt like this book of Genocide Jack cases could be an important piece of evidence. Upon making this conclusion, Kyoko decided to take the book with her to the trial room.

"I'm taking this for now," Kyoko said as she closed the book and took it.

Byakuya began to stare at Kyoko with a menacing look. "Kyoko..." he said. "Give. That. Back."

"This piece of evidence is important," Kyoko explained. "It could contain clues that could point to the culprit."

Makoto and Sayaka looked at Kyoko with a confused look. "Uh...Kyoko?" Makoto said. "How could that book help us figure out the culprit?"

"I'll explain later," Kyoko said. "For now, we should probably get going. The trial is starting soon, and I feel like there's a few more pieces of evidence in the school. We just have to keep searching." She then carried the book under her arm and made her way out the library door.

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Genocide Jack Case Files**

Halfway through the library, Kyoko suddenly paused for a moment. Makoto and Sayaka stared at Kyoko, wondering why she stopped.

"By the way, Byakuya," Kyoko began. "Could you explain to me why the desk lamp was off? It's supposed to be on. Would you mind turning it on?"

Byakuya shook his head. "No," he said.

"Why not?" Kyoko asked.

"It doesn't work," Byakuya explained. "The desk lamp will never turn on, no matter how many times you use the switch."

Makoto then took a look at the side of the desk. "Oh, I see the problem," he said. "The lamp isn't plugged in to any power outlets. That's an easy fix. Let me plug that into an outlet." He then grabbed the cord and walked towards the nearest power outlet.

"Don't-" Byakuya tried to say to Makoto.

Makoto didn't travel far before the lamp began to move. Sayaka shrieked when she saw this happen. Makoto stopped in his tracks and looked back, wondering why the desk lamp moved. He realized that the desk lamp cord was too short. It wasn't long enough to even reach the nearest power outlet. And that's a long way to the power outlet. There is no way that the cord could reach the outlet from the desk without an extension cord.

"I was trying to warn you, Makoto," Byakuya said. "The desk lamp cord doesn't reach far enough."

"It's okay," Makoto assured. "We could use an extension cord to help it reach the outlet. There must be an extension cord somewhere. Does anyone know where it is?"

"I don't," Byakuya said. "The extension cord appears to have gone missing."

"Really?" Makoto said. "I swear I saw one somewhere in this school."

"Just forget about an extension cord already," Byakuya ordered. "I don't need bright lights to help me read."

"Actually, don't forget about the extension cord," Kyoko said.

"But...why, Kyoko?" Makoto asked. "Why do you think the extension cord is important? I mean, we did see one at the crime sense, but what can we conclude from that?"

"True, we did see an extension cord at the crime scene," Kyoko replied. "But we can talk about that during the trial. For now, we should get going. Follow me, Makoto. You too, Sayaka." She then exited the library.

Makoto and Sayaka looked at each other for a few moments, exchanging confused looks. They then turn around and looked at Byakuya.

Byakuya scoffed at Makoto and Sayaka. "Go ahead," he said. "Leave me alone. I'm just getting a different book to read."

Makoto and Sayaka looked back at each other as they exited the library.

* * *

**Day 10 - 5:20 AM  
Hallway, Second Floor  
**

Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko stood outside the library doors as they begin their discussion on any possible remaining clues. There's not much time left before the second trial begins. Everyone has already gathered enough clues already, but it appears that there's still room for more. The more clues they gathered, the closer they got to figuring out the true culprit of this case. Even with this many clues, however, figuring out what happened in this case could prove to be difficult, as the previous case showed. If they can get a few more clues, it might just make the trial a bit easier.

Kyoko flipped through the pages of the Genocide Jack case files for a brief moment. She then decided that it's time to bring that up. She lifted her head off the book and stared at Makoto and Sayaka. "Makoto, Sayaka, could you two listen for a moment?" she asked.

Makoto and Sayaka turn towards Kyoko. "What is it?" Makoto asked.

"There's something I need to bring up," Kyoko replied. "Do you two remember our discussion about the identity of Genocide Jack?"

"Of course we do," Makoto replied, with Sayaka nodding as well. "Sayaka and I didn't participate in that discussion at all, but we did listen to everyone. So, why did you bring that up?"

"I believe this is an important thing to discuss right now," Kyoko said. "Do you two remember what discuss about Genocide Jack?"

"Uh...no?" Makoto replied. Sayaka shook her head as well.

"Looks like you two should've focused on that discussion," Kyoko remarked. "I'll briefly summarize about what we discuss about Genocide Jack. According to these case files, Genocide Jack is really a student who is suffering from an alternate, violent personality. In other words, a split personality. We don't know exactly who this Genocide Jack is. We do know that there is a student who is missing from the start. Whether that missing student is Genocide Jack is currently known. Alternately, Genocide Jack could be someone who is a participant of this killing game. Which one of us could be Genocide Jack, we still don't know either. All we know about Genocide Jack is that the student who has him as a split personality currently attends Hope's Peak Academy."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Identity of Genocide Jack**

"Now, with that out of the way," Kyoko said after finishing her summary, "who do you suspect is Genocide Jack?"

Makoto and Sayaka thought about it for a few moments. They come up with nothing.

"So you two don't suspect anyone of being Genocide Jack," Kyoko concluded. "I expected to see that. Still, who is a likely candidate for being Genocide Jack?"

"Um...Toko?" Makoto suggested. "She's been acting strange ever since that discussion about Genocide Jack."

Kyoko thought about that possibility for a moment. "That could be the case," she said as she looked back at the Genocide Jack cases. "But...you're forgetting something. Records say that Genocide Jack is likely a boy, and the crime took place in the boy's locker room. Toko is a girl, so it isn't likely that she's Genocide Jack. Then again, her behavior over the past few days has been suspicious. She's been locking herself up in her own room ever since our discussion about Genocide Jack. This is something we can't ignore. We might have to get Toko to explain her behavior during the trial. We'll keep this in mind for now."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Toko's Behavior**

"What about Yasuke?" Makoto suggested again. "I know he's dead right now, but did you notice anything strange about him before his death?"

Kyoko thought about that possibility again. She then shook her head. "I doubt that Dr. Yasuke is Genocide Jack," she said. "For that to work, he has to commit suicide, and none of the Genocide Jack case files imply that the victims committed suicide. Still, now that you mention it, Yasuke is acting suspicious in the moments leading up to his death."

"Like what?" Makoto asked.

"Do you two remember the times when Yasuke and Junko are seen together?" Kyoko asked. "I remember those times. From my observations, they're about as close to each other as you two are right now. They always seem to talk to each other whenever they get the chance."

"Well, they're childhood friends, after all," Makoto said. "Sayaka and I might not have a childhood together, but we used to attend the same middle school. Isn't that something?"

"Save that for later," Kyoko said. "We don't have time to talk about our past. For now, let's focus on Yasuke and Junko. Ever since the motive was distributed, I rarely see these two interact at all. I only have less than a day's worth of data points to go through, but the point still stands. It appears that Yasuke is acting strange around Junko."

"Why did you think Yasuke is behaving strangely?" Makoto asked.

"I can't say for sure," Kyoko replied. "His behavior might explain actions he took that led to his death. We might have to figure this out during the trial. For now, this might be an important piece of evidence, as it could explain why Yasuke may try to kill someone."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Yasuke's Behavior**

"Oh, I almost forgot," Makoto suddenly said. "Do you think anyone noticed something off about the room leading up to the crime scene? The floor felt a little...soft, didn't it?"

Kyoko was surprised that Makoto brought this up. She knew that the floor of the changing room felt a little different than usual, but even she didn't think too much about it. Her focus was entirely on the crime scene. But now that Makoto had mention it and that the there were no more evidence to be found in the crime scene, Kyoko began to suspect that there was something going on with the floor. She knew that she needed to make a quick stop there.

"Wait at the door to the elevator room," Kyoko ordered as she closed the book. "I need to head back to the crime scene fast." She make a run for the stairs, but not before stopping for a brief moment. "Oh, and Sayaka? Would you mind saying a single word? Your silence is making me suspicious of you."

Sayaka let out a little whimper. Makoto stepped in and comforted her a little.

"You have to forgive Sayaka for now," Makoto said. "She's mute. She only speaks to me when we're alone."

"So Sayaka does speak," Kyoko said. "But only to you, Makoto. I see. We don't have much time left before the trial, so let's get moving." She then walked down the stairs to the first floor.

Makoto and Sayaka looked at each other once again. They began to suspect that something's going on with the floor of the changing room. It wasn't there the last time anyone had entered the changing room, at least before Yasuke was killed. Someone must've placed it there. They decided to follow Kyoko into the changing room and headed down the stairs after her.

* * *

**Day 10 - 5:30 AM  
Athletic Changing Room, First Floor  
**

Kyoko opened the door to enter the changing room. Outside, Sakura and Hina peek their heads outside the door, wondering what Kyoko is doing.

"What are you doing Kyoko?" Hina asked. "Are you going back to the crime scene? I'm sure there's nothing else left for us to find."

Kyoko pondered as she stared at the floor. The floor looked and felt differently than what it was yesterday. She wondered why this is the case.

"Excuse us," Makoto said as he and Sayaka entered the changing room.

"Oh, hi Makoto!" Hina greeted. "Hi Sayaka! What are you two doing here?"

Makoto turned around and looked at Hina. "Hey, Hina," he greeted back. "Um, this might sound strange, but I have a question to ask you."

"What's your question?" Hina said.

"Doesn't the floor look and felt a little...different than what it used to be?" Makoto asked.

"Huh?" Hina replied, looking confused. "What do you mean?"

"He's talking about the floor of the changing room," Sakura clarified. "It appears to be covered by a mat."

"A mat?" Hina asked. "Oh, I see."

Kyoko looked at the bottom of a wall and noticed that the floor appears to be curling up towards it. "Looks like that's the case," she said. "This room's floor is covered with a mat."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Floor Mat**

"Ah, so that's it," Hina said, realizing something. "I was wondering why the floor looked and felt different from the last time I used this room. There's a mat covering the floor. Why didn't I noticed that earlier?"

"Perhaps some of us are so distracted by the body that we didn't noticed that the floor was different," Sakura suggested.

"Oh..." Hina said, realizing that the dead body distracted her from the different floor. "I should've noticed that sooner. But then...why was the mat even there?"

Kyoko thought about something and came up with a possible solution. She just needed to check the floor below that mat. To do that, she needed to roll up the mat so that it no longer covered the floor. This looks like a job for multiple people. Three people will probably have some difficulty rolling up a mat this large, but with five people, it just might work. She didn't expect to see Makoto and Sayaka in the room, as she ordered them to wait by the door to the elevator room. Perhaps they could lend a helping hand.

"Everyone, help me roll up this mat," Kyoko ordered. "There's something I need to check. That includes you two, Makoto and Sayaka."

The five students worked together to roll up the mat covering the floor. The floor mat was huge and heavy. Even Sakura would find difficulty lifting this mat on her own, and she's possibly the strongest human alive. If even she has trouble lifting this mat up, how is anyone supposed to place this mat down on their own? This must be a sign that the culprit had some assistance.

**Truth Bullet Updated: Floor Mat**

When the students got to halfway across the room, they stumbled upon a horrifying sight. Sayaka let out a shriek as soon as she saw it.

"What the heck?!" Hina gasped upon seeing it.

"Blood?!" Makoto gasped in horror.

"This is...disgusting!" Sakura exclaimed.

The students discovered a large pool of blood underneath the mat. It appeared to be fresh, having been there for only a few hours.

Kyoko then concluded why the floor mat was there. "So, the floor mat was trying to cover something," she said. "It was trying to cover the sign that a murder happened in this room."

**Truth Bullet Acquired: Bloodstain on Floor**

Sayaka nearly threw up again. She tried her best to keep it all in.

"What can we conclude from this?" Makoto asked.

Kyoko took a look back at the crime scene, where Yasuke's body was partially suspended. She began to form a picture as to how the crime went down. "It appears that the culprit killed Yasuke in this room," she said. "They then hid the body in the boy's locker room, attempting to delay the body discovery announcement as much as possible. As we all know, that didn't work out so well. The time of death, according to the Monokuma File, was 2:00 AM. The body was discovered over two hours later. It looks like the culprit's plan failed right there."

"So...the culprit is clear, then?" Hina asked.

"Not quite," Kyoko replied. "That's all the clues we can gather for now. Our only option left is to interview others about what they did last night before the murder. Unfortunately, it looks like we don't have the time to do that. The trial's starting soon."

As if right on cue, the trial announcement began to play across the school.

"Attention all students," Monokuma announced over the intercoms. "This is a school announcement. The Class Trial is about to begin. All surviving students, please make your way to the elevator room as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for you in the trial room!"

"That was...perfectly timed," Kyoko remarked. "Looks like the trial is about to begin. Come on, everyone. You know where to go."

Everyone then left the changing room and headed towards the elevator room.

* * *

**Day 10 - 5:36 AM  
Elevator Room, First Floor**

"Ugh..." Kiyotaka said. "Why did that announcement have to play at that time? I was *this* close to finishing counting all the items in the infirmary!"

"Why would you waste the rest of your time counting objects in the infirmary?" Natsumi asked. "Shouldn't you have used that time to, I don't know, help the investigation out like you said?"

"That was so painful to watch..." Junko remarked. "If only Yasuke was here. He would've done it perfectly..."

"You're not helping," Mondo growled.

While the others are talking, Makoto and Sayaka looked around the elevator room. It appears that all surviving students have arrived, with a few exceptions. Byakuya and Toko are still absent, which is to be expected. They hoped that those two will arrive soon.

"Hey, when is Toko going to be here?" Hina asked. "I'm getting worried about her. She's taking an awfully long time to get here."

"Just give Toko a few more minutes," Kyoko replied. "As the rules state, it is mandatory for all surviving students to participate in the class trial. No exceptions."

"Well, Monokuma did make an exception to me and Sayaka," Makoto added.

"You and Sayaka were behind the rest of us when the trial began," Kyoko pointed out. "Monokuma only let you two participate late because he's behind schedule. As for Toko, I'm sure he'll find a way to force her to participate one way or another."

Right when Kyoko said that, the doors suddenly opened up. Everyone turned around and faced the door. On the floor in front of the door was Byakuya, having landed on his face. Behind Byakuya, Monokuma was found standing just outside the room, implying that he's the one who forced Byakuya in.

"That's what you get for not listening to me, four-eyes!" Monokuma said. "Remember the class rules: all surviving students must participate in the class trial no matter what! Now, wait right there, everyone. Don't step into the elevator just yet! There's another person who's absent. Let me get her." He then exited the area, closing the elevator room doors behind him.

Makoto grew concerned for Byakuya. That fall looked like it hurt. "Are you okay, Byakuya?" he asked.

Byakuya lifted his face from the floor. It appears that he wasn't hurt much. Not even his glasses was damaged. He did look annoyed, however. "That stupid bear," he grumbled. "He didn't let me read a book."

"I warned you, Byakuya," Kyoko said. "You can read a book another time. There's not enough time for you to read a book."

Byakuya lifted himself off the floor. He then wiped the dust off his clothes.

"Ah, Byakuya!" Kiyotaka said. "You came! Finally!"

Byakuya stared at Kiyotaka and gave him a disapproving look, as if Kiyotaka hasn't gotten enough of those already. Kiyotaka doesn't seem to mind, however.

"Now, about Toko," Kiyotaka continued. "How is she? Has anyone checked on her during the investigation?"

"Well, I did try to knock on her door once," Hina said. "She did answer the door, opening the door just enough to peek her head through. I was excited at first. I finally got to talk to her for once. But...before I could talk to her, she slammed the door on me. I tried to knock on her door again, but she refused to answer that time."

"Good," Byakuya said. "I don't want to get another look at that sorry excuse of a bookworm ever again."

"Byakuya!" Kiyotaka scolded. "You shouldn't treat your classmate like that! You should apologize to Toko right this instance!"

"Why should I?" Byakuya questioned. "She's not here. It's not like she heard what I just said."

Right when Byakuya said that, the door suddenly opened up again and in flew Toko. Once again, Monokuma is the one who forced her to participate in the class trial.

"There!" Monokuma said. "That's all the surviving students! Now we can get this trial going! Everyone, please enter the elevator to the trial room. I'll be there waiting for you!" And then he disappeared.

Byakuya took one look at Toko and turned his head away from her. "...Why did she have to show up right now?" he asked.

Toko lifted her head up from the floor. She appeared to be in a state of panic. "W-What happened?" she asked. "W-What am I doing here? L-Last time I r-remembered, I was in my room...when t-that bear showed up and t-took me away! H-How did I get here...?"

Everyone except for Byakuya tried to explain what's going on to Toko. However, Toko took one look at Byakuya and all of a sudden, she was no longer in a state of panic. She suddenly got back on her feet and started drooling.

"M-Master Togami!" Toko said, sounding a bit too...excited. "Y-You're here!"

Byakuya let out a groan. "Someone get this pest out of my sights," he ordered.

This only got Toko even more...excited. Nobody seems to be picking up on this, though.

"Everyone, let's not waste any more time," Kyoko ordered. "We have a trial coming up. We'd better not let Monokuma wait any longer than he has to. Let's go. Get in the elevator, everyone."

Everyone then entered the elevator. The elevator door then closes and descends down into the trial room. Everyone kept their eyes on Toko as they traveled down. It looked like Toko could lose her mind at any moment.

The elevator soon arrives at its destination. The doors open up and everyone stepped into the trial room. The trial room looked different than the last time they used this room. Now, the entire room seems to be decorated in a hospital theme, with hospital beds, medical equipment, and cutouts of doctors scattered all over the room. They all appear to only be decorations, however. As usual, at the center of the trial room is a circle of podiums. This time, two more podiums are occupied with memorials. Joining Hiro in the world of the deceased are Leon and Yasuke, both in the podiums they used to occupy. Everyone got into their usual podiums and inserted their E-Handbooks into the slot. Once the preparations are done, everyone began to look around the podiums.

Hina looked at the place where Leon used to stand at. She has a sad look on her face. "Leon..." she said. She began to shed tears over the death of a friend that she wished she had.

Junko also looked at the place where Yasuke used to stand at. She too began to shed tears. "Yasuke...I swear," she said. "We will find your killer, one way or another. I promise, Yasuke. I promise!"

Monokuma then showed up at the big seat overlooking the podiums. "Hey, I'm here-" he began to say, only to see everyone's sad looks on their faces. "Oh, looks like I'm interrupting your sad times. Did you miss your dead classmates? You should be. Well, there's no time to be crying over your dead friends. We've got a trial to go through! I know you're all tried because your sleep was rudely interrupted, but don't you dare fall asleep on me! If you do, then I'll punish you! It's against the rules to sleep outside the dormitories, remember? Don't say anything to me, because we're behind schedule! We've wasted enough time already from me dragging two students into the elevator room, so let the class trial begin!"

The second trial then begins. The students are starting to become nervous over it. In the previous case, Yasuke has led the class into solving the case, and he did a good job doing it. With him dead, who will take his place in leading the class in the right direction? Who could've killed Yauske, and why? Did the motive about the students' personal secrets have anything to do with it? What's up with Toko? Why is she hiding in her room for so long? And does this have anything to do with Genocide Jack? All of these questions will be answered in the second trial.

* * *

**Truth Bullets**

  * **Monokuma File 2:** The victim was Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was around 2:00 AM. The victim was discovered in the boy's locker room, at the athletics area. The victim suffered a single stab wound to the abdomen and bled to death. There were additional injuries at both wrists and the neck, but those appeared to be inflicted after the victim's death.
  * **Combat Knife:** A knife that was found stabbed in Yasuke's body. It is designed differently from kitchen knives, designed for combat use rather than culinary use.
  * **Medical Scalpel:** Found next to Yasuke's body. It is a small knife used to make precise cuts. No blood was found on the scalpel.
  * **Status of the Dead Body:** Yasuke's body was found partially suspended from two pull up frames. His wrists and neck was tied up with some kind of rope. The upper half of his body was suspended, but the lower half remained on the floor.
  * **Extension Cord:** Used as a rope to tie up Yasuke's body. It is a long cord used to connect electronic devices that are far away from an electrical outlet. The total length of the cord is 10 meters.
  * **Words on Wall:** The words "BLOOD LUST" was found written on the wall. It appears to be written with a finger using the victim's own blood.
  * **E-Handbook Scanner:** To unlock the locker room from the outside, a student must swipe their E-Handbook over the scanner. A male student's E-Handbook is needed to unlock the boy's locker room, and a female student's E-Handbook for the girls. As long as the locker room door remains open, anyone can freely enter the locker room. As soon as the door closes, however, the door becomes locked.
  * **Missing E-Handbook:** Yasuke's E-Handbook was nowhere to be found on his body. It appears that his E-Handbook was stolen by someone.
  * **Personal Belongings Rule:** A student is not allowed to lend their personal belongings to another student, nor are they allowed to seal someone else's personal belongings. The personal belongings label only applies to a student's E-Handbook and dormitory room keys. However, if a student dies, then they will no longer be in possession of their personal belongings, and anyone can take them without violating the rules.
  * **Infirmary Inventory List:** Found on Yasuke's body. It contains a list of every equipment found in the infirmary. One of the scalpels has gone missing according to the list.
  * **Broken Infirmary Lock:** The lock to the infirmary is broken, meaning anyone other than Yasuke can freely enter the infirmary. Celeste has exploited this to make her previous plan work, and it is possible that another student entered the infirmary without the knowledge of Yasuke.
  * **Genocide Jack Case Files:** There are many victims of the infamous serial killer Genocide Jack. Most of the victims have several things in common. They were all killed from being stabbed, mounted to a nearby wall, and the words "BLOOD LUST" was found written at the wall of the crime scene, written with the victim's own blood.
  * **Library Desk Lamp:** A lamp found at the back desk of the library. It is currently turned off. Its cord is too short to reach any outlets from its location, and the extension cord appears to have gone missing.
  * **Identity of Genocide Jack:** The identity of Genocide Jack is likely a student of Hope's Peak Academy who's suffering from a split personality. Whether this student is one of the survivors, one of the deceased, or the missing student remains unknown.
  * **Toko's Behavior:** Toko has been behaving strangely over the past few days. She ran off into her room during the discussion of the identity of Genocide Jack, and often refused to answer the door when the students tried to call her over.
  * **Yasuke's Behavior:** Yasuke has been behaving strangely yesterday. Despite being childhood friends and hanging out with each other a lot, he rarely speaks with Junko anymore. He kept his distance from her since the motives were distributed, and nobody knows why.
  * **Floor Mat:** The room before the locker rooms has its floor covered with a mat. The mat was so heavy that even Sakura had difficulty lifting it on her own. It is not there yesterday, so somebody must've placed it there.
  * **Bloodstain on Floor:** Below the floor mat, a bloodstain can be found on the carpet. It appears that the floor mat was there to try to cover it up.




End file.
